AV News October 2025

In this Issue

The Blue Touch Paper Q&A

Edtech choices: redefining priorities? Making the Grade: Simplifying Pro AV and Digital Signage for education

Rethinking AV for a greener tomorrow

Rethinking AV for a greener tomorrow

PPDS announces new distribution partnership with FVC

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays and complementary solutions, has announced a new strategic distribution partnership with FVC, expanding its reach and strengthening its presence across the Middle East and parts of North Africa. Under this new agreement, FVC will represent and distribute the full PPDS portfolio of Philips Professional Displays – including the latest digital signage, direct view LED displays, and professional TVs – delivering world class AV solutions to customers across a wide range of verticals. From corporate, education, government and defence, through to retail, hospitality, healthcare, and morHeadquartered in Dubai, FVC is a value-added distributor with a long standing reputation for bringing leading edge audiovisual and unified communications technologies to the market. The partnership ensures that systems integrators and end customers in the region can access the award winning PPDS portfolio, supported by FVC’s extensive partner ecosystem and technical expertise. Mr K S Parag, Managing Director at FVC, commented: “Partnering with PPDS to bring the full Philips Professional Displays portfolio to the MEA region is a significant milestone for us. From advanced digital signage and LED solutions to professional TVs, this collaboration enables us to deliver a wider range of world class AV technologies with seamless integration and reliability. With PPDS’ innovation and our strong partner ecosystem, we are confident of creating new opportunities for our customers and driving meaningful growth across multiple industries. We look for-

ward to building a long term, successful partnership together.”

Wim De Geest, Executive Director MEA, PPDS, added: “We are delighted to be working with FVC, a distributor that shares our passion and proactive approach to delivering best in class AV solutions. From our very first discussions, it was clear that FVC’s expertise and network would be invaluable in helping us to expand our presence in the Middle East. Together, we will extend significant value and support to our partners and customers in the region.”

As part of the partnership, FVC will also host satellite PPDS Studio Hubs in its demo centres in Dubai and Riyadh, providing dedicated spaces for integrators and customers to experience the latest and greatest innovations from Philips Professional Displays first hand. These satellite Studios form part of PPDS’ growing international network, designed to connect local markets with global resources and expertise, ensuring seamless collaboration and solution design. Jae O Choi Park, Head of Commercial EMEA, PPDS, concluded: “By combining our new partnership with FVC and the introduction of PPDS Studio Hubs in Dubai and Riyadh, we are strengthening connections between local markets and our global innovation network. These spaces will give system integrators and customers the opportunity to experience our Philips Professional Displays first hand, to collaborate with our full network of technology partners, and to be inspired by the possibilities our total solutions can bring.”

Barco strengthens China growth trajectory

Barco has announced a major commercial agreement with Huao Media, a key distribution partner in China. The deal includes the delivery of 400 projectors, 1,200 lenses, and 60 Encore3 systems, scheduled for rollout across 2025 and into early 2026. This milestone order reflects a significant step forward in Barco’s strategic expansion in Asia, and growing momentum in the Chinese market. It not only strengthens Barco’s footprint in the region but also reinforces its confidence in the longterm strategic importance of China as a growth market for professional, high-impact visualisation solutions. The order comprises a total of four hundred I600-4K15 single-chip laser projectors, over a thousand units of matching ILD lenses and sixty Encore3 image processing systems. Notably, Huao has already secured end customers for a substantial portion of the equipment with the products earmarked for active projects, underscoring the strength of Huao’s market reach and the increasing demand for Barco’s advanced visualisation solutions.

“The Chinese market has faced considerable headwinds since the COVID-19 pandemic, with slower recovery and cautious investment patterns,” said Domien De Witte, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Barco. “However, we’re now seeing encouraging signs of renewed growth, and this deal with Huao is a testament to that shift. It’s also a reflection of the trust and agility that define our partnership.” The growing immersive experience industry in China is driven by increasing demand for virtual and mixed reality experiences, particularly in entertainment, cultural venues, and live events – segments where Barco’s solutions are ideally positioned. Similarly, the professional AV market is showing signs of recovery, with renewed investment and innovation fuelling demand across corporate, education, and government applications.

Mr. Liu Dong, Chairman of Huao adds: “As China’s immersive market accelerates, we recognized the need for a technology partner that could not only meet current demands but also scale with us into the future. This partnership marks a new chapter for us; it’s a strategic move to align with a brand that understands the dynamics of a fast-growing market and is committed to supporting our long-term success.” Barco’s collaboration with Huao is part of a broader strategy to strengthen its presence in high-potential markets through targeted partnerships and customer-centric distribution models. Huao’s robust distribution strategy, which emphasizes direct engagement with end users and integrators, has proven instrumental in accelerating adoption of Barco’s technologies across entertainment, cultural and corporate sectors in China.

AV Stumpfl celebrates opening of new production facility

AV Stumpfl celebrated the opening of its new 2,200m² production hall at its headquarters in Wallern an der Trattnach together with its entire team during this year’s summer family festival. Fuelled by a good economy in the United States – one of AV Stumpfl’s major sales markets – the company is experiencing a strong increase in demand from the ‘land of opportunity’. More than ten years ago, AV Stumpfl strategically established a US subsidiary in Atlanta, Georgia, to bring its innovative systems – developed and manufactured with dedication in Upper Austria – to the homeland of the live entertainment, hospitality and film industries. The new facility adds 2,200m² of production space, effectively doubling the company’s production capacity. Last year, AV Stumpfl invested in new equipment for a second production line and welcomed 20 new team members. Until now, this team was spread across various parts of the company building, which proved inefficient. With the new production hall, workflows can now be organised much more effectively. An alternative to building the new facility would have been switching to shift work – but that approach would have contradicted the company’s philosophy. At AV Stumpfl, growth is never pursued as an end in itself. Internally, the company describes the investment in the new hall as also investing in the hearts of team members, customers and partners. “The construction of this new hall marks not just another major milestone in our company’s history but also an investment in the future of our team. We are a company defined by innovation and quality, but we always place our people at the centre of everything we do,” explains Stefanie Niederwimmer, head of AV Stumpfl’s projection screens division, which also includes responsibility for production. “It’s all about preserving a positive working environment – full of light and space – where everyone feels comfortable and can truly reach their potential.”

The team is already enjoying their new working environment, with the hall officially completed and fully operational. The ‘AV Stumpfl standard’ is immediately evident: a bright, quiet space with an ideal indoor climate

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– the perfect conditions for focused, productive work. And the company is already looking ahead: “We have some exciting ideas for further developing our site, which we like to think of as a place of strength,” says CEO Tobias Stumpfl, though he’s keeping the details under wraps for now. “We believe in taking one step at a time. For us, it’s not about growth for growth’s sake –it’s about holistic quality.”

Adspective signs product placement partnership with FC Barcelona

Adspective, the AI-powered ad intelligence ecosystem based in Poland, has entered into a strategic partnership with Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB), the global centre of excellence created by FC Barcelona to drive innovation across sport, technology and media. This collaboration marks a historic milestone, as Adspective becomes the first Polish company to work with FC Barcelona on redefining advertising inside sports content.

As part of the agreement, Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB) has become a shareholder in Adspective, expanding its portfolio of start-up investments and reinforcing its commitment to shaping the future of sports, media and fan engagement. Adspective analyses every frame of video content to identify emotional hotspots and brand-fit moments, turning them into seamless opportunities for Virtual Product Placement (VPP). Unlike traditional ads that interrupt the fan experience, Adspective’s technology inser ts brands naturally into the story, creating unskippable, contextual moments. With FC Barcelona, Adspective will begin by piloting VPP in unbranded content the club produces for social media and other channels. With 400M+ Barça fans worldwide, this initiative is the

first step toward building a replicable business model for leagues, teams and broadcasters worldwide, one that monetizes content at scale while preserving authenticity for fans.

Adspective redefines brand engagement with a powerful suite of flagship capabilities. Virtual Product Placement inserts products into existing video - no reshoots required. Dynamic VPP takes it further, delivering hyper-personalized brand versions in real time by location, age, gender, or language. With Shop-the-Scene, fans can buy products instantly from the content they love. And with Content Intelligence Analysis, every frame is scanned for monetizable moments that drive new revenue. “We’re not selling fixes. We’re selling outcomes. Product placement drives up to 85% brand recall - far higher than traditional ads. And with Gen Z 71% more open to ads that feel like content, the opportunity is clear. This partnership shows how advertising can evolve inside the story itself, not around it. Barcelona’s BIHUB is the perfect partner to shape a scalable model that keeps fans happy without interrupting the content, and we’re delighted to have them as a partner in our business”, said Rafał Radawiec, CEO and Founder, Adspective.

“FC Barcelona sees the BIHUB as a strategic tool to explore the new frontiers of the entertainment and sports business. By acquiring a stake in Adspective, the Club secures first-hand knowledge of where the advertising sector is heading and positions FC Barcelona at the forefront of innovation in an industry that plays a key role in the world of sports,” said Àngel Riudalbas, Director responsible for Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB).

Rethinking AV for a

greener tomorrow:

Why sustainability must be built-in, not bolted on

Following on from last month’s AV News’ article on sustainability, Paul Midwood, company Director at Solstice AV tells us why sustainability is no longer a luxury or an afterthought for the AV sector! Paul Midwood is company Director and co-founder of Solstice AV, a UK-based trade-only AV distributor. With over 20 years in the industry, he combines deep technical expertise, particularly in LED and large-scale display solutions, with a practical, reseller-first approach. Paul is known for his ability to design and deliver complex, customised AV projects, and for championing the speed, flexibility, and service that have fuelled Solstice AV’s rapid growth.

In today’s AV landscape, sustainability is no longer a luxury or an afterthought; it’s a decisive factor influencing both customer demand and regulatory compliance. From retail to corporate spaces, clients are asking the same question: how can audiovisual technology support our environmental goals without compromising on performance?

At Solstice AV, we believe the answer lies in designing sustainability into the core of AV solutions, not as an optional extra, but as a foundational principle. Let’s explore just a few ways in which AV integrators, manufacturers, and resellers can deliver immediate environmental benefits while driving long-term value and operational efficiency.

Instant sustainability benefits, without compromise

One of the greatest misconceptions in the AV industry is that sustainable technology must come with trade-offs: higher upfront costs, reduced performance, or longer ROI periods. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Many of today’s sustainable AV solutions offer immediate environmental gains, without any negative impact on user experience or visual performance. Take, for example, our latest LED display offerings with modular design. These displays consume significantly less energy than legacy systems while providing crystal-clear image quality and longer lifespans. What’s more, their modular nature allows for easy servicing and upgrades, reducing the need to replace entire systems

when one component fails or requires updating. This reduces not only electronic waste but also transport-related emissions tied to replacements. In an era where businesses are scrutinising the carbon footprint of every operational choice, such improvements aren’t just nice to have; they’re essential.

Energy efficiency and cost reduction go hand in hand

Sustainability doesn’t just serve the environment; it makes excellent business sense too. Energy-efficient AV technologies lower operating costs for end users, a benefit that becomes especially pronounced at scale. Consider digital signage in a nationwide supermarket chain: a single high-efficiency screen may only shave pounds off an electricity bill, but, multiplied across hundreds of sites and thousands of displays, the savings are substantial.

This principle extends to every product in the modern AV ecosystem, from smart displays and control systems to ePaper signage. Zero-power displays such as ePaper consume energy only when content is updated. When used in place of printed materials (such as store promotions, public notices, or office directories) they eliminate the ongoing costs of paper, ink, printing, delivery, and manual installation. That’s not only more efficient -it’s more sustainable.

Remote management: a quiet sustainability revolution

Remote management capabilities, once seen as a luxury, are now a linchpin of sustainable AV strategy. Why

send a technician across the country to update content or diagnose a screen when it can be done securely from a central location?

This is why modern pro AV must prioritize real-time remote access, allowing customers to push new content instantly across entire fleets of displays. This reduces vehicle miles travelled, cuts emissions, and ensures marketing or safety messages are always timely and accurate. This benefits both the planet and the bottom line.

Regulation is coming, and forward-looking businesses are ready

Sustainability is increasingly being enshrined into law, with countries like Germany introducing stringent rules that mandate responsible sourcing, circular economy practices, and low-impact product design. Across the EU and UK, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks are being adopted not just by government agencies, but by major corporate buyers. This means the AV sector must prepare now for a new era of procurement, one where a product’s sustainability credentials are just as important as its technical specs. Businesses that cannot demonstrate their environmental commitment risk being excluded from tenders, especially in sectors such as education, government, and retail.

Success means anticipating these changes, ensuring that your portfolio meets evolving standards and provides customers with the documentation they need to prove compliance.

Designing for the circular economy: modular, repairable, reusable

Product design plays a critical role in sustainability, and modularity must be central to good design philosophy. When AV systems are built to be easily repaired, upgraded, or repurposed, their life cycle is greatly extended, reducing the volume of e-waste and the environmental impact of frequent replacements.

Modular LED displays are a prime example. Instead of replacing an entire wall when a single panel fails, customers can simply swap the faulty unit, minimising waste and downtime. This “repair, don’t replace” approach is not just greener; it’s smarter, more scalable, and increasingly preferred by sustainability-conscious buyers.

We’re also seeing growing interest in refurbishment and take-back schemes. Manufacturers and distributors who can offer recycling or reuse pathways are gaining a competitive edge, and rightly so.

Why sustainability is now a business driver

Perhaps the biggest shift in recent years is the way sustainability has moved from a marketing message to a boardroom priority. It’s no longer just about doing the right thing; it’s about protecting brand reputation, meeting investor expectations, and aligning with customer values.

At Solstice AV, we see this in every conversation with our clients. They want products that look great and perform brilliantly, but they also want to know: How much power does it consume? Can it be updated remotely? Is it made

responsibly? What’s the lifecycle impact?

This is why we’re committed to building sustainability into every layer of our value proposition. This includes the brands we partner with, the services we offer, and the guidance we give our resellers.

Conclusion: it’s time to build, not bolt

Sustainability is not a feature you can add at the end. It must be integrated into product development, system design, distribution, and support from the ground up. As the AV industry continues to grow and digitise physical spaces, we have an opportunity and responsibility to lead the way in responsible innovation. By embracing technologies that reduce power consumption, cut waste, and simplify lifecycle management, we’re not just meeting regulatory demands. We’re building a more resilient, efficient, and ethical industry. At Solstice AV, we’re proud to be part of that journey, and we invite the entire AV community to join us in designing a greener, smarter future.

Midwich Group interim results

Midwich Group has announced its Interim Results for the six months ended 30 June 2025 (‘H1 2025’). The outlook for the year-end remains unchanged. Stephen Fenby, Managing Director of Midwich Group plc, commented: “The first half of 2025 has been challenging for our industry, with education and corporate expenditure suppressed due to several factors such as high government debt, low or negative GDP growth and tariff uncertainty. As a result, we have seen reduced demand and price erosion of mainstream products which has contributed to compressed net margins. However, our higher margin technical product categories, which represent over two thirds of H1 sales, continue to be more resilient.”

“Despite the macro backdrop, the Group has been proactive with its initiatives to drive improved future performance by developing new vendor and customer relationships, building new revenue streams and pursuing operating and cost saving efficiencies. These include implementing AI solutions to improve the efficiency of the business. Midwich remains a leading player in a large global industry, and we continue to maintain or grow market share in key profitable regions, with a focus on delivering the best service to our customers and vendors. There is no doubt 2 that the first half of 2025 has been tough, and I recognise that the additional workload on my colleagues is significant. I, along with the Board, would like to thank them for their continued efforts. The initiatives and actions taken to expand our reach and improve performance means we continue to look forward with confidence.”

i3CONNECT l - new website and free

i3CONNECT announced the launch of its brand-new website, now live at www.i3 connect.com. Designed with clarity, usability and purpose in mind, the site brings the i3CONNECT brand to life – making it easier than ever for educators, business leaders and partners to explore our solutions, get inspired and take the next step in their digital journey. The new website reflects the bold new brand born from the merger of i3-Technologies and CTOUCH. It showcases i3CONNECT’s complete range of touch displays, software and accessories for classrooms and meeting rooms, while offering practical solutions to help people connect, collaborate and grow.

“What you’ll find on www.i3-connect.com: A fresh, intuitive design that puts users first; Inspiring content for both education and business; Clear product overviews, specifications and comparisons; Our sustainability journey. The website is continuously updated with new stories, products and solutions.” The starting point for interactive learning and working In line with i3CONNECT’s technology philosophy, the new website is designed to be easy to use, future-ready and full of purpose. It supports i3CONNECT’s mission to energise meetings and lessons with meaningful, sustainable tools that connect people and ideas in smarter, more impactful ways. Whether you’re looking to create a more interactive classroom, transform the way your team works or simply stay ahead of the curve, i3-connect.com is your new starting point.

“Alongside the new website, we’re excited to present i3CONNECT Academy – a free online learning platform designed to help our users to get the most out of their interactive displays. At academy.i3-connect.com you’ll find practical training, easy-to-follow courses and step-

free online Academy

by-step guides.” Learn how to engage your audience, collaborate more effectively and create spaces where every participant can succeed. i3CONNECT Academy makes it simple to gain confidence with the technology and unlock its full potential.

Ascentae partners with NUITEQ to strengthen its education portfolio

Ascentae has announced a new partnership with NUITEQ, a well-established global software and hardware provider, recognised globally for its innovative solutions in the compulsory education space. With a well-established reputation in the education sector, NUITEQ’s solutions are implemented in schools worldwide to encourage active participation and achieve meaningful results. Through this new partnership, UK educators and learners will have access to advanced tools that promote interactive and inclusive learning experiences. Ascentae will be selling two NUITEQ solutions, specifically:

NUITEQ Chorus offers teachers and students a collaborative learning platform designed to enhance teaching efficiency and student engagement through interactive content, streamlined lesson planning, and seamless integration with existing classroom technology. The NUITEQ Chorus AI Assistant transforms how lessons are planned and delivered.

NUITEQ NEXT offers schools a next-generation collaboration hub, featuring EDLA-certified Android 13 technology, ultra-wide-angle 4K camera, built-in sound system, advanced noise reduction, and compatibility with

existing interactive flat panels. It delivers a simple, plugand-play upgrade to existing classroom displays, ensuring schools can extend the life and the value of their technology investments.

Jon Knight, Managing Director of Ascentae, commented:

“At Ascentae, we are committed to providing UK schools with innovative, future-ready solutions that help teachers deliver the best possible learning experience. Partnering with NUITEQ allows us to strengthen our education ecosystem and bring proven, globally trusted tools like Chorus and NEXT to schools across the UK.” Marie Despringhere, Chief Sales Officer and Head of Partner Relations, added:

“We’re excited to partner with Ascentae, whose expertise and strong relationships within the UK education sector make them the ideal partner to expand our presence. Together, we’ll support schools in creating more interactive, engaging, and effective learning environments.”

This partnership builds on Ascentae’s commitment to bringing together best-in-class brands that address the evolving needs of the education sector. By integrating NUITEQ’s proven solutions, Ascentae continues to deliver a robust ecosystem that empowers educators, inspires students, and supports the future of learning.

LED Studio launches the UK’s largest LED experience centre

LED Studio has opened the doors of its LED Experience Centre for the first time. Located at its Hampshire global HQ, the space is the largest dedicated LED demonstration facility in the UK, offering a fully immersive space for exploring the future of LED across retail, corporate, simulation, visitor attraction and residential applications. The opening was marked with two identical halfday sessions during which visitors were able to experience the latest innovations in LED display technology and hear from key thought leaders shaping the future of the AV industry.

Each session included a keynote presentation from Ben Cope, Principal Engineer at Intel, who partnered with LED Studio to develop EDGE-i, the world’s first integrated smart all-in-one LED display powered by Intel’s Smart Display Module (SDM) technology. Ben explored how integrated compute has transformed the way displays are deployed and managed, paving the way for streamlined operations and simplified system design. Attendees also heard from Xavier Carrera, European Business Development Manager at Navori, the pioneering digital signage software company. Xavier presented a compelling look at how AI-driven computer vision and real-time analytics are enhancing communication and increasing audience engagement across a range of vertical markets.

During the event, LED Studio unveiled several new product innovations. Among them is UNITY, the first LED solution to integrate both hardware and digital signage software within a single platform. This has been achieved by embedding Navori’s CMS directly into the display, removing the need for external media players, hidden cabling or complex control infrastructure. UNITY offers enterprise-grade scheduling, analytics and update capabilities, enables remote management through real-time performance monitoring and opens up new subscription-based revenue models for channel partners.

The company will also present its new CineLED range, a fine pixel pitch display line designed specifically for the residential market. CineLED combines stunning visual performance with low power consumption and whisper-quiet operation, making it ideal for bright modern living spaces. The range has been engineered for easy installation by home integrators, redefining what is possible in high-end residential entertainment. Visitors were also invited to experience a fully operational driving simulator built using LED Studio’s fine pitch curved display technology. Designed for high end simulation and visualisation applications, the system offers a choice of SMD, MPI and COB pixel technologies. The inclusion of 5G data communication and magnetic front-service access allows for hot swapping of modules, minimising downtime and simplifying maintenance in demanding environments.

Refreshed Datapath UK demo room features Absen LED

Datapath has added to its global network of demo and training facilities with a comprehensive refresh of its new demo facility at its Derby, UK headquarters. Datapath have teamed up with Absen, B-Tech AV Mounts, and SPF Consoles to demonstrate a complete control room solution of video processing and distribution, LED video wall displays, mounts, CCTV, and consoles — giving visitors to their head office a dedicated experience of a control room set-up and the chance to explore and experience solutions created for their specific needs.

The updated demo and training facility is one of 15 venues across the world covering APAC, EMEA and the Americas. Similarly to these global sites, the UK HQ centre is driven by Datapath’s powerful Aetria solution, showing the latest advances in the management and control of multi-source, multi-endpoint video, including ‘operator video walls’, and the latest Touch control interface. With leading manufacturers coming together to provide complete user solutions, customers and end users have the convenience of seeing how all elements harmonise in a ‘real use’ environment. With a wealth of

video content aligned with numerous verticals - including utilities, traffic management, defence and othersusers can feel immersed in a familiar environment while experiencing all the user benefits that Aetria provides.

Managing video processing and content in the Datapath HQ demo room will be a VSN V3-11 video wall processor, Aetria workstation, [AM1] Aligo Workstation, plus Aligo TX100 and Aligo RX100[AM2] KVM solutions. With the vast increase in the volumes of video data now required in today’s control rooms, there are huge challenges around how critical information is made available to operators, both inside and outside the control room. As the data volume increases, solutions like Datapath’s Aetria are needed to help operators make sense of it, allowing ‘anything, anywhere’ video management.

Adam Marsden, Datapath Regional Sales Manager for UK, Ireland, Nordics and Baltics said: “Aetria offers the ultimate in control room video management, and thanks to our alliance with quality manufacturers such as Absen, B-Tech and SPF Consoles, visitors can see firsthand how vital control room elements work in harmony while experiencing everything in a real-time environment. Aetria is a solution that needs to be experienced to appreciate the full scope of its benefits, and we look forward to welcoming our partners, along with their customers, to our UK HQ for a bespoke demonstration tailored to their unique requirements.”

Datapath has added to its global network of demo and training facilities with a comprehensive refresh of its new demo facility at its Derby, UK headquarters.

Ark Ventures to stock Brompton Tessera SQ200 LED processor

Brompton Technology has announced that Ark Ventures, an LED systems integrator within the Symunity Group, has become the first sales partner globally to invest in Brompton’s Tessera SQ200 LED processor to form part of its inventory line-up. The deal was finalised during IBC 2025 in Amsterdam. A trusted Brompton partner since 2020, Ark Ventures has played a pivotal role in delivering some of the largest virtual production stages in the Asia Pacific region, as well as some of the most ambitious immersive events. Earlier this year, the company also became the first Asian integrator to be certified as a Brompton Hydra Partner in Japan and South Korea, further strengthening its relationship with Brompton and commitment to advancing LED display technology in the region.

The Tessera SQ200 represents the most powerful 8K LED video processor on the market today, built on Brompton’s Gen 3 processing platform. Fully backwards-compatible with existing Brompton-powered LED panels and Tessera XD distribution units, the SQ200 offers a 20-fold increase in power compared to the award-winning Tessera SX40 and introduces support for AV-over-IP protocols including the most reliable SMPTE ST 2110 integration. With 100Gb Ethernet connectivity, it enables uncompressed 8K video-over-IP at 60fps and 12-bit colour depth over a single cable, plus redundant 100Gb links for demanding workflows. Additional innovations include support for irregular canvas sizes up to 64K pixels in either dimension, ensuring a single processor can drive even the largest and most complex LED displays.

Brompton will be working closely with Ark Ventures to provide in-depth training and hands-on support, ensuring the team can take full advantage of the SQ200’s advanced capabilities. “We are delighted that Ark Ventures is the first company to place a stocking order for our Tessera SQ200,” says Brompton’s CEO, Richard Mead. “As one of our most valued partners, we have built a long-lasting relationship founded on shared philosophies, with both companies fully committed to delivering the best possible experience and caring deeply about their customers, something that runs through the very fabric of Brompton. Its decision to adopt the SQ200 is a powerful statement of confidence and ensures it can continue bringing new levels of innovation to their customers.”

David Oh at Ark Ventures Inc., concludes: “We’re thrilled to be the first company in the world to invest in Brompton’s next-generation LED processing platform. With its flagship 8K Tessera SQ200, we can unlock unprecedented performance and creative possibilities, pushing technical boundaries to deliver the most cutting-edge visual experiences. The SQ200 perfectly complements our commitment to offer world-class solutions, and we are excited to continue our journey with Brompton as a trusted partner.”

Wildstone adds nine premium Melbourne

Wildstone has completed the acquisition of nine billboard faces over six billboard structures in metropolitan Melbourne from High Street Media, taking its Australian portfolio to 71 assets – comprising 44 static and 27 digital billboards. The new additions include three double-sided digital and static structures and three single-sided digital screens. Four of the six are super sites located along major arterial routes including the South Gippsland, Frankston and Princess Freeways. The fifth and sixth are spectacular sites, situated on the Metropolitan and Western Ring Roads.

Jonathon Kouvelis, Director at High Street Media, said: “I was very happy with the way this transaction progressed with Wildstone, which handled every aspect of the deal expertly from start to finish. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with these sites and believe they will continue to thrive under Wildstone’s ownership.” All assets are subject to long-term agreements with established billboard operators. ASX-listed oOh! media manages five of the sites, with Civic Outdoor operating the sixth.

The acquisition aligns with Wildstone’s global infra-

Melbourne billboard faces to growing portfolio

structure model, which centres on the long-term ownership of quality billboard assets. Wildstone works in partnership with media operators to ensure each site is fully optimised while remaining focused on the growth of its asset base. Wildstone is the largest owner of outdoor advertising infrastructure in the world, with more than 5,400 assets. It entered the Australian market in May last year and has since completed a number of acquisitions in the country. “We’re pleased to have completed another strategic transaction in Victoria as we continue to grow our footprint across the country,” said Noel Cook, Managing Director of Wildstone Australia. “Reaching 71 billboard assets in just over a year reflects the strength of our approach and the response from billboard owners and landlords looking for long-term value. We remain focused on further acquisitions in both metropolitan and regional markets.”

AVITdirect named official online retail partner for Shure IntelliMix Room Kits

Shure has chosen AVITdirect, the fast-growing AV and IT ecommerce platform from Project Audio Visual, as the official online retail partner for its IntelliMix Room Kits. This partnership offers a frictionless route to market pairing Shure’s best-in-class audio and video technology with AVITdirect’s unmatched technical expertise and efficient ecommerce experience. Shure’s IntelliMix Room Kits bring studio-grade audio and intelligent video into modern meeting spaces. With adaptive digital signal processing, a ceiling-mounted microphone and loudspeaker, AI-enhanced camera technology and a sleek controller for one-touch join, the kits create a seamless, inclusive meeting experience from the first interaction. All of this is delivered with zero-touch provisioning, making setup and scaling effortless for IT and AV teams alike.

Buyers can now access the kits with transparent pricing, fast delivery and no minimum order requirements or lengthy quotation processes. Steve Hudson, COO at AVITdirect says: “Being named the official online retail partner for Shure’s IntelliMix Room Kits gives us a direct way to solve a very real problem: poor audio in modern meeting rooms. With Teams Rooms and AI tools like Microsoft Copilot now central to how organisations work, the quality of your audio directly affects how clearly people are heard, understood and represented. “This partnership gives customers fast access to proven solutions, backed by real technical expertise and deployment experience.”

partnership comes at a pivotal time as Shure increases its focus on unified communications and IT-led collaboration environments. James Hill, Director at Shure comments: “AVITdirect brings something rare to the ecommerce space: technical depth and real-world deployment experience. Backed by Project Audio Visual, they understand how premium solutions like IntelliMix Room Kits are used, not just how they’re sold. Their team provides informed advice, consultative support and installation when needed, which makes all the difference in outcome.“As hybrid work continues to reshape how and where we meet, businesses are under pressure to deliver consistent, high-quality communication. Poor audio remains one of the most common frustrations. IntelliMix™ Room Kits are designed to address this directly, using adaptive DSP and scalable components to create clear, inclusive meeting spaces.”

RGB Communications partners with FlatPanel AudiO

RGB Communications has announced a new strategic partnership with FlatPanel Audio, a company redefining loudspeaker performance and design flexibility. Under the agreement, RGB Communications will distribute FlatPanel Audio’s breakthrough of advanced loudspeakers across the UK and Ireland. FlatPanel Audio is led by a team of industry veterans responsible for some of the most influential audio innovations in recent decades, including Auto-Tune, Mackie Mixers, and the first Distributed Mode Loudspeakers. Their mission is to empower AV professionals, architects, and acousticians with solutions that no conventional loudspeakers at any price can deliver. “We are excited to add Flat Panel Audio to our portfolio. Their technology provides our integrators with a truly versatile solution, speakers that deliver exceptional sound performance and can be installed in ways that respect both the acoustic and aesthetic demands of any project. This partnership ensures our customers have access to unique sound wave technology that solves room sound problems old school loudspeakers make worse,” said Andy Atwell, Managing Director of RGB Communications. He added, “We at RGB are proud to donate 1% of all sales (net of VAT) to UK military charities, in recognition of their role in the development of this technology. FlatPanel Audio’s patented designs nearly double the coverage of conventional loudspeakers, delivering zero distortion and perfect stereo in every seat, with no dead or hotspots. Exponentially greater placement flexibility gives integrators unparalleled design and installation freedom. Their unique diffuse sound waves prevent room echoes, comb filtering and collapsed stereo, yielding crystal-clear, immersive audio in any environment, even highly reverberant spaces. Whether showcased as a visible feature or seamlessly integrated into the architecture, their products allow for uncompromised sound where reflective surfaces and acoustic treatments are impractical. “It’s what DML sound waves don’t do that makes them perform so much better,’ began veteran system integrator and FlatPanel Audio COO Bryan Cole, adding, “especially in reverberant spaces, our DML500

waves don’t comb filter or bounce off reflective surfaces. Already diffuse waves are actually helped by reflective surfaces, so instead of doubling the distance and losing 6 dB, you only lose 4 dB.”

CEO Denny Mayer summed up the new relationship, saying, “DML technology was born in the UK, and we’re delighted to support RGB in bringing such a disruptive replacement technology back home.” This agreement further strengthens RGB Communications’ position as a distributor of choice for integrators seeking innovative, reliable, and design-led AV solutions.

ST Engineering Antycip secures strategic enterprise agreement with the RAF

ST Engineering Antycip (Antycip) has signed a landmark enterprise agreement with the UK Royal Air Force (RAF). The multi-year contract provides enterprise-wide access to advanced simulation technologies, designed to strengthen mission readiness through scalable synthetic operational training across a growing number of air programmes. Supported by MAK Technologies, Antycip’s sister company, this agreement marks a major evolution in Antycip’s long-standing partnership with the RAF. It establishes a unified simulation architecture that will underpin a wide range of distributed, high-fidelity training environments across RAF operations. Crucially, the MAK ONE platform enables RAF teams to build and adapt their own simulation environments inhouse, thanks to the powerful development toolkits. This open, modular approach not only accelerates in-

novation but also safeguards the Ministry of Defence’s control over its intellectual property, a key requirement for long-term sovereignty and interoperability.

Under the terms of the agreement, RAF personnel, across nominated programmes, will gain full access to the MAK ONE simulation suite, along with delivery, deployment, and frontline support across multiple RAF sites and mission domains. “This agreement represents a significant milestone in our collaboration with the RAF,” said Katie Howe, Senior Account Manager at Antycip. “It’s so much more than providing powerful tools, it’s about establishing a long-term, flexible simulation framework that evolves with the RAF’s operational ambitions.”

“As MAK’s suite of products are widely used across Air’s suite of synthetic training systems, an enterprise

agreement ensures cost-effective access to this core software for our users and supports development of JSP939-compliant software. Moreover, the flexible and comprehensive service offered by MAK and Antycip ensures that the service can grow with our needs and that users have access to the training they need to get the most out of each application.” Gp Capt Ruari Henderson-Begg, Chief Modelling and Simulation Officer (Air) said: “We’re really proud to partner with the amazing team at Antycip to support the RAF’s evolving training mission through this enterprise agreement enabling a common, flexible synthetic architecture. Based on open APIs and open standards this allows best of breed solutions from all over the M&S space to work together to meet the RAF’s evolving needs.”

Jim Kogler, Vice President of Products, MAK Technologies explains: “This agreement enables the RAF to standardise simulation architecture across multiple training initiatives, including the Gladiator programme, now integrated under the wider enterprise framework. ST Engineering Antycip specialises in providing cutting-edge immersive simulation and virtual reality solutions to a diverse range of industries, including aerospace, defence, automotive, and academia. With a focus on innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction, Antycip is dedicated to empowering organisations with transformative technologies that drive success.”

Kinly’s refreshed Global Enterprise Services model

Global audio-visual (AV) integrator, Kinly, today announced its renewed Global Enterprise Services model (GS), specifically designed to meet the challenges faced by enterprise level organisations through consistency, scalability and long-term value. As enterprises strive to reconfigure spaces and reimagine the workplace experience, they face mounting challenges in the form of fragmented and ageing technology estates, inconsistent delivery across global locations, rising operational costs, and critically, poor data integrity and a lack of visibility into their own infrastructure. Many organisations managing thousands of global video-enabled meeting rooms discover a fundamental barrier to innovation as they don’t know what technology they have, where it is or what condition it is in. This data governance gap prevents enterprises from implementing the AI and automation solutions that could transform their operations.

To tackle these fundamental challenges, Kinly’s enhanced Global Enterprise Services model introduces two integrated offerings that are foundational elements for scalable transformation. At its core, the Programme Management, Architecture and Consultancy for Enterprise (PACE) framework delivers three essential functions. These are programme management with single point of contact oversight and live project dashboards; service architecture delivering design, process engineering and systems and tooling integration; and enterprise consultancy services including technical stand-

ards alignment, technology strategy and lifecycle planning. Complementing this framework, Kinly’s Structured Data Services (SDS) offering establishes the data integrity and strategic governance layer that enterprises need before implementing automation and integration. Unlike traditional AV integrators who focus solely on equipment deployment, this dual approach enables enterprises to scale effectively and at speed while maintaining control and visibility.

Supporting this comprehensive approach, Kinly provides 24-hour ‘follow-the-sun’ support across EMEA, APAC and the Americas. This ensures nothing happens at enterprise customer sites without control from Kinly programme managers, technical subject matter experts and client service managers.

Reflecting on the state of the market, Jody Moffat, Kinly’s Head of Global Services, explained: “The biggest challenge our enterprise customers face is that they lack visibility. They don’t know what technology they’ve got, where it is and what state it is in. This hinders consistency across project delivery and prevents them from effectively implementing automation. Our new offerings step in to provide the clarity of vision these organisations need to create scalable and agile strategies.”

Building on this, Teymour Mossadeghi, Director of Service Architecture for Global Services, added: “PACE isn’t about going as fast as you can. It’s about going at the right speed and in the right direction. Large organisations need proper prioritisation and governance to innovate effectively. Our framework is designed to help the entire industry evolve into a more mature technolo-

gy and information services sector.”

This strategic focus has proven successful, with Global Enterprise Services expanding by 40 per cent since 2022. The enhanced model now positions Kinly to support the industry’s evolution from traditional AV integration toward comprehensive technology and information services.

Kairos honoured for customer excellence

Kairos has been presented with the Adder Distributor Award for Customer Excellence. This award celebrates distributors who have demonstrated unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction, ensuring that every interaction nurtures strong relationships and delivers exceptional service. “At Adder, our distributor network is essential to our business success. Through these awards, we celebrate the outstanding contributions of our partners and the shared values that make our distribution channel strong, resilient, and effective.” Kairos have set themselves apart with their customer-first approach, going above and beyond to meet customer needs, resolve challenges efficiently, and ensure a seamless experience. In addition to their exceptional customer service, Kairos have made a significant investment in training and product knowledge, particularly in Adder’s high performance KVM solutions. This dedication to understanding and promoting Adder’s products has been pivotal in enhancing both the Adder

brand and the experiences of customers. The results of this investment are clear, as both Adder and Kairos customers are benefiting from the deep product knowledge and expertise Kairos have developed.

Pierre Jalbert, strategic sales manager at Adder, expressed his appreciation for Kairos’ outstanding contributions: “Kairos has consistently demonstrated an exceptional level of service, ensuring that our customers receive the highest quality support and solutions. Their commitment to excellence and the investment they’ve made in product training is truly commendable. We are proud to have them as a trusted partner.”

The Adder Distributor Awards are more than just recognition - they celebrate the core values that define our success. Collaboration is at the heart of our partner network, and Kairos have demonstrated exceptional teamwork, open communication, and a strong partnership mindset, ensuring smooth operations and outstanding service. Their innovative approach allows us to better meet customer needs while staying ahead in a competitive market. Simultaneously, their ability to embrace change has been instrumental in adapting to new technologies and evolving industry demands with agility and confidence.

Kairos’ positivity and commitment to excellence inspire both their team and ours, fostering a culture of optimism, drive, and continuous improvement. By recognizing and celebrating these values, we reinforce the qualities that make our distribution network strong and customer-focused. Kairos’ Customer Excellence Award is a testament to their dedication, and we look forward to continued success together.

IKairos has been presented with the Adder Distributor Award for Customer Excellence.

Light the BTP….

AVN: For those who don’t know you yet, how would you describe yourselves in three words each?

“After a period of many iterations: Jon – Challenging | Strategic| Future focused (although Jane will roll her eyes at that one!).

Jane – Energetic | positive | up for a challenge (well I do work with Jon every day!)”

AVN: What’s the story behind Blue Touch Paper — where did the spark come from, and why that name?

“‘Light the Blue Touch Paper and stand well back’ Everybody has heard of that phrase – right? Well apparently, not (it actually refers to the early days of explosives around the time of The Gun Powder Plot when the explosive materials were very unpredictable), but here comes the unintended consequence, we get to explain the meaning behind our consultancy, many times over ‘igniting opportunities and accelerating the business’.”

AVN: You both had successful careers in the AV/UC industry before this. What itch wasn’t being scratched that led you to launch BTP? “Isn’t it everybody’s dream to work for themselves? It’s about time we used our diverse experience built in the last 30 years, growing distributor and vendor businesses through channel, to deliver a business that we are extremely proud of, free from corporate restriction or safety net”.

AVN: Any “creative disagreements” worth sharing?

“We are always bickering, but we get on extremely well – like an old married couple with the benefit of not living together!”

AVN: If Blue Touch Paper had a mission statement that fits on a T-shirt, what would it say?

“Actually, BTP doesn’t have a mission statement, but we do have 4, very strict rules (especially the last one!): We only work with people we like.On projects that we believe in.Where we can exchange high levels of value. And have fun! We love the idea of putting these on a T-shirt – watch out ISE!”

AVN: You talked about “igniting opportunities and ideas” — but what kinds of ideas light your own fuse?

“This is the core of why BTP was created. We both love working with businesses to develop strategic plans that create, build and scale brands, especially expanding through and with channel partners.”

AVN: Many consultancies claim to help ‘transform businesses.’ What’s different about the BTP slant?

“Transforming is a very BIG claim - we bring real-world channel experience and external insight, something that is difficult to find from within an organisation or spreadsheet to help design, validate, and execute go-tomarket strategies that engage partners and deliver results.”

AVN: How do you balance ‘big vision thinking’ with the messy reality of implementation and how does your approach change?

“Actually, both of us enjoy ‘rolling up our sleeves’, creating strategies, talking to stakeholders and delivering transformative programs and ultimately challenging the status quo. Because the BTP style is very informal (some may comment that it can be a little irreverent), one thing you can be sure of, we will always give our honest opinion.

AVN: What are the questions Blue Touch Paper helps answer?

“We all sound the same - how do we stand out?”

Brand positioning, value prop clarity and well defined GTM. “Are our GTM plans going to deliver the required outcomes?” Review and validate existing strategic plans against current market and channel conditions.

“Do we have the right supply chain partners and programs?” Map supply chain landscapes comparing the GTM and partner programs and execution strategies.

“What do our partners need?” Trend analysis, deep dive into geographic and target market differences

combined with practical recommendations in a quarterly report with personalised interpretation (Channel Pulse).

What are the problems BTP solves?

Channel disconnects BTP bridges that gap to ensure vendor programs resonate with distributors/resellers. Strategic paralysis Leadership teams know they need to transform but don’t know where to start. BTP provides frameworks, clarity, and momentum.

Industry noise In a market full of jargon and ‘me-too’ claims, BTP helps organisations cut through with authentic, simple messaging. Execution gap Turning “big vision” into actionable programs that teams can actually deliver and measure.

AVN: Many consultancies fall into the trap of making pricing sound like a lawyer’s invoice (billable hours, increments, etc.) – what’s your secret?

“We keep it simple. We don’t believe in hidden extras or overcomplicated fee structures. Our charging model is transparent and tailored to the scope of each engagement, whether that’s a one-off workshop, a defined project, or ongoing advisory support. Clients know exactly what they’re paying for, and more importantly, the value they’re getting.”

AVN: You’ve known each other a long time. What’s the secret to working together without throttling each other?

“Being passionate about the business and industry, we often both have slightly differing views, however the ultimate output is always better then where we started, after a period of debate. This is very often achieved over a G&T or glass of Malbec.”

AVN: The AV/UC industry can sometimes be seen as slow to adapt. What’s your message to those stuck in ‘comfort mode’?

“We have recently released our Channel Pulse Survey results detailing the 8 business workflow areas, which explores this exact subject. Simply, in a time of change accelerating faster that we have ever experienced, the industry needs to embrace and lead on all things data and AI, covering the entire business workflow. End users are looking for their partners to deliver a complete solution to their business challenges, working through platform with the red thread of data and AI.”

AVN: You’ve created the Channel Pulse program. Why is industry feedback so important, and what’s been the most surprising trend you’ve uncovered so far?

“Supply chain partners need to understand the opportunities and challenges, encountered by their channel partner community and whilst they may receive this feedback through their internal teams; this is sporadic at best, and maybe ‘selective’ by nature. We felt there was a real need to collate and deliver real world infor-

mation directly from our Channel Advisory Board members, a global community of industry leaders, back to vendors and distributors to help shape and course correct go to market and product strategies.”

AVN: If you had to pick one future “big bet” for the industry — what would you stake your money on?

“AI is going to impact our industry deeper and quicker than we can ever imagine.”

AVN: Quick fire round;

Let’s find out more about your personalities?

Who’s the optimist and who’s the realist?

Jon - Optimist / next shiny thing / next new business strategy and idea.

Jane – Realist / but can also get swept away by the new shiny gadget too Spreadsheet wizard or Post-it note chaos?

Jane – neither, trying to re-train myself to use CoPilot.

Jon – I love a list, more specifically ticking off the tasks! Who’s more likely to be late for a meeting?

Jane

Who sends the longer WhatsApp messages?

Jon (and more frequently)

Who’s more likely to get recognised at an AV industry event?

Jon, BUT recognised as Jeff Bezos.

Future of Blue Touch Paper

AVN: You’ve worked with vendors, distributors, and resellers alike. What’s next on the horizon for BTP?

“We would love to continue to play a pivotal role in our industry delivering real change in the meeting space, moving from communications to true and effective collaboration. It is a privilege to work with many innovative vendors and distributors, and it is our belief that we are entering a new era of tech that deliver seamless experiences, through immersive environments and AI.”

AVN: Finally: if you could ignite one big change in the AV/UC industry tomorrow, what would it be?

“Our industry is in transition from product to workflow, from Capex to Opex, from siloed features to platform ecosystems. Resellers and vendors need to redefine their businesses, roles, skill sets, and go-to-market strategies. THE CHANGE - forget the past, build a business for the future, because the future is now!”

Edtech choices: redefining priorities?

With the election of the Labour government, the perennial problem of tinkering with the education system as a political priority has started in earnest. Of the major issues facing the recently reconfigured DES, are the questions of limited budget for investment in new and replacement edtech; the integration of AI into pedagogy; and the increased emphasis on sustainability. But choices still have to be made. Here are our thoughts

Education is expensive. In 2025, the UK government allocated approximately £63.7 billion to state-funded schools in England for pupils aged 5 to 16. This represents a significant increase compared to previous years and about 82% more than the £35 billion allocated in 2010–11. Pressures on this ostensibly vast sum come from a number of often competing directions: aside from the day-to-day operational costs for mainstream schools. Expansion of the free school meals programme accounted for an additional £410 million annually. About £615 million was set aside to support a 4% pay increase for teachers. Reforms to SEND provision has seen real-terms per-pupil funding expected to grow by about 0.9% annually. And yet, nowhere in this blizzard of stats and initiatives is there any direct reference to the digital infrastructure that supports actual teaching.

Sustainability

Indirectly, and where the political shuns align, as with ambitions to achieve Net Zero, there are some exceptions to this generalisation. Tim Allenden, Channel Team Leader, UK & Ireland, at i3CONNECT: “Energy-saving technologies like Power over Ethernet scheduling, smart sensors and intelligent standby are already built into today’s edtech solutions yet adoption in education is still lagging. The challenge is not really cost as there is no significant premium for these features, it is about awareness and confidence. Too often schools do not realise

how simple these tools are to deploy or the scale of savings they can generate”. Allenden believes that the balance of responsibilities is at fault here: “That is why the responsibility lies with us as manufacturers. At i3CONNECT we have made energy efficiency a core part of our ecosystem. Our team actively trains educators and IT staff on how to get the most out of these tools, and with the launch of our free online training platform i3CONNECT Academy we can reach even more people. By making sustainability effortless we are helping budget-conscious institutions cut costs and meet their environmental goals at the same time.”

Peter Miller, Regional Manager at Vivitek EMEA is enthusiastic about a more formal approach to sustainability: “It would be great to see Sustainability Standards put in place for Public Sector Purchasing. However, what usually happens is there is very little thought put into it. The Public Sector is under massive financial pressure and the government will generally not increase the budget to pay for this. The pressure is then put on the manufacturer who will need to increase up front pricing to cover the associated costs. This is rarely accepted which is why so many important solutions get delayed or eventually cancelled.”

Energy saving, he goes on to say. is almost a universal requirement today, with widespread availability of energy-saving features and technologies but they are not widely adopted in education. Miller believes that: “In

many cases, it’s either lack of awareness or users are worried that activating such features will be complicated or compromise the performance of the device. There’s also a mindset barrier to overcome, namely that making one small change won’t make that much difference to the environment. We must remind people it is the cumulative effect of everyone making small changes that creates a noticeable difference”.

Richard Horvath of Kramer adds: “A green AV standard would be useful. A lot of hardware is now PoE which is enabling the move towards sustainability within the AV sector; however, this type of hardware is often more costly, and this presents a catch 22 – circling back to my earlier points around lack of budget within EDU. The ZeeVee product range would certainly benefit from a green initiative within the Universities given its uncontested power efficiency. Control systems for automation (power down at specific times of day) could also be a big help towards reducing power usage along with the likes of Panta Rhei, to analyse data on hardware for end users to make smarter decisions on how technology enabled spaces are being utilised.”

“Essentially with most projects in education currently, we’re seeing small upgrades, or portions of campuses being refurbished rather than a complete overhaul of legacy solutions which makes any net zero mission a long-term plan – I don’t foresee much changing in the short term. While systems such as managed power distributors and PoE scheduling can easily be implemented into new or existing systems, older components can be power hungry when compared to more efficient newer devices.”

“Therefore controlling the power state of these older devices may not be as efficient or cost effective as replacing an entire 10-year-old system with a newer more efficient one, and also controlling the power of them might provide an order of magnitude less energy consumed. This is especially relevant to large PoE LAN switches with redundant power supplies. Newer ones are a lot more efficient.”

Future trends

Budget shortages have done little to stems the ambitions of educators in respect of new and emerging tech-

nologies. Peter Miller says: “While there is an appetite for AI across education, many establishments are weighing up its benefits and assessing where it can be used to add most value. It could be effective in completing time-consuming, mundane tasks that, while essential to teaching, impact educators’ time that is better spent on teaching or further lesson prep.”

He continues with a cautionary note: “I’m sure education will be cautious in its approach to AI adoption until there are assurances relating to its accuracy and safety and concerns about data security have been addressed. The challenge for education establishments will be to weigh-up whether they need AI – and xR – more than they need other technologies or solutions. Is AI a niceto-have or a must-have? And, if budgets are limited, what should be excluded to make way for AI? Those are some of the questions that need to be answered.”

Miller is enthusiastic about increased support for SEND programmes: “It’s excellent to see that SEND investment is rising to the forefront in the quest to give each pupil or student a level learning platform via the provision of tailored tech solutions. Hopefully, that will fuel the pace at which ed tech evolves to support those with learning requirements. Arguably, there can never be ‘enough’ solutions. What’s important is that the IT and AV sector continues to invest in new solutions to meet as many learning requirements as possible.”

Richard Horvarth of Kramer believes that there is gap in provision in the SEND sector: “Not familiar with a great deal of tech / tools for SEND, however a bit of research suggests that lots of solutions exist, however they don’t all work cohesively and there is a gap in training. I can correlate this with the Kramer VIA. A great tool, which should in essence be simple to use, share content and start meetings but I have often seen that they have been installed and never fully adopted due to the lack of training.”

Increasing the sophistication of edtech tools has created a marked impact on the training overhead for educators and other users of edtech solution: “Responsibility for training users often varies depending on the solution. Whether the training is conducted by the manufacturer, the supplier or the education institutes’ internal IT team, the training process provides an excellent opportunity to gather feedback from the end user; is the solu-

tion fit for purpose? Does it meet their needs? What could be improved? What’s missing? What works well? This feedback loop is especially valuable in the context of end users with learning requirements due to their specific – and sometimes overlooked – requirements.”

Miller believes that resolving this issue may require change to current practice: “Generally, in AV, a vendor will often provide one open training session when the products (touchscreens etc) are installed, which is never enough for a successful take up of the technology. IT is much better as they generally work off a Service Agreement where they will provide ongoing support. For AV, Schools should find one or two ‘Super Users’ who understand the technology, and its benefits, and can support others internally on an ongoing basis.”

Who trains the teachers? Richard Horvarth concedes that the training issue is “A good point, and I believe it will come through various forms ie from the IT/AV department, certification boards, online training, and the vendors. I do think Vendors like ourselves really do need to do more here.”

Lightening the load

In addition to the direct costs of a new edtech installation educators need to be reassured that the effort involved in adoption will be reciprocated by the benefits arising from use of the solution: “We know that ed tech can help do a lot of the heavy-lifting from an admin perspective; but AV and UC can also acts as the ‘glue’ between students, parents and teachers, providing them with an easy-to-use platform that facilitates regular virtual meetings to discuss short-term or long-term issues. Such regular contact – as realised by AV and UC – can make the difference between resolving an issue quickly or dragging it out over a series of face-to-face meetings - which can be harder to organise when multiple stakeholders have to travel to one site, thus delaying resolution”, says Miller.

Horvarth believes that edtech itself may have the answer to the ever-expanding workload of educators: “Utilising software like PNTR Session manager can be a big help, Educators can walk into any room scan a QR code and have access to all files, folders, and meetings instantly. This saves a lot of prep, such as a user having to get into a room 30 mins prior to the lesson commencing to test the AV facilities, also eliminating the need to con-

nect their laptops, which is not always straightforward for non-tech’s especially now USB-C is the key connector and still some rooms are not USB-C enabled - thus reducing any downtime.”

“While those who develop the LLMs that underpin many of the popular AI tools are responsible for addressing issues relating to bias and data security, it is reassuring to see the recent AI Safety summits have the backing of governments internationally. Even with that backdrop, education institutions should have policies in place that govern the safe use of such solutions. The responsible use of AI lies with users as much as developers. That governance is especially important when it comes to developing students’ critical thinking, creativity and interpersonal skills; AI should be an aid, and not a substitute for them, and teaching staff should reinforce that distinction.”

Even so, AI tools may not always align with national or local educational standards, making integration complex. At the extreme, generative AI can produce inaccurate or misleading content which is risky in educational settings: “There should be an element of common sense here; if you’re not sure about the impact of something, then use it cautiously whether there are guidelines in place or not. We could use the evolution of the internet as a proxy here; everyone rushed to embrace it, but few thought about its societal impact. To an extent, we mirrored this behaviour again in the race to embrace social media. We should weigh up the benefits of AIand give a voice to those likely to be impacted by it the most - before it is unleashed enmasse. Until then, it should be used responsibly.”

Emerging edtech

AI’s rapid adoption is probably only paralleled by the emergence of the internet itself, and while other technologies have appeared on the market they are yet to proves their relevance to the education community. Richard Horvarth is keen observers and participants in the edtech market: “I’m not seeing a great deal of AR or XR but I think that’s down to a couple of reasons – (1) being the limited solutions in this space from an AV perspective and (2) being budget. These solutions are

highly expensive and as we know too well, EDU budgets have been slashed across the whole country.” Horvarth continues: “This leads us into a simple answer to the next question around the increase in funding and if that would be enough for these types of solutions. I personally don’t think it will, the Universities are already pushing planned projects due to the lack of funds right now, so I would have to assume that any new budget will be required for other critical projects which have been delayed. Perhaps some budget will be retained, but as with standard AI technologies currently, a phased approach over a number of years seems most likely.”

The AI conundrum

Kramer regional manager Stephane Raulet gives her impressions of developments in edtech.

In the past year the focus for collaboration has been on improving user experience and leveraging AI (mainly with VC for hybrid set-ups). The key trends include AI-powered features like real-time transcription and smart framing, seamless integration with other tools, and a growing emphasis on BYOD/BYOM setups for more flexible meeting / teaching experiences.

This isn’t easy to implement for early education and some Universities, especially with the inflation that we’ve experienced. The EDU budgets may have increased in value but the education sector doesn’t seem to have a higher buying power than when I join Kramer back in 2020; however the top Universities with international students need features like live translations for foreign students, who in some cases represent over 70% of their revenues (I did try to integrate Cabolo with Kramer, but that was more challenging than climbing Mount Everest so I had to park it!) .

Based on what I’ve seen this year, the ongoing effort from the industry is to integrate AI in Video Conferencing systems for hybrid learning combined with the rise of immersive experience with Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality. AI is enhancing features like noise cancellation, speaker tracking and meeting / teaching transcription, while VR/AR is making virtual meetings more interactive and realistic. Again, this is something that some of the bigger Universities have looked at.

For hybrid teaching, the needs and priorities also revolve around:

•the rollout of 5G networks to enhance video calls quality and stability, so 5G users are the ones it benefits the most as they are getting lower latency and higher speeds, even in places where connectivity was previously limited.

•collaboration platforms being focused on improving user experience through simplified layouts, faster loading times, and more intuitive interfaces.

•increased security and privacy measures (NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO USE THE CLOUD!).

•Sustainability based on eco-friendly, energy-efficient technologies. Systems should be designed with longevity in mind to reduce environmental impacts of AV installations (that was a hot recurring topic at the LTSMG).

Making the grade: Pro AV and Digital Signage for education

As the 2025–26 academic year begins, educators face a familiar challenge: how to engage students in increasingly digital classrooms while working within shrinking budgets, limited IT resources, and growing expectations for sustainability and accessibility. But are the solutions offered to education simply too complicated for education users to deploy, adopt and maintain?

For many schools and universities, AV and digital signage solutions are no longer just ‘nice-to-haves’ - they’re integral to communication, learning, and campus-wide collaboration. “Education has always been a huge vertical for us,” said Richard Horvath, Regional Account Manager at Kramer, in a recent conversation. “Even with budget cuts, institutions are still looking for reliable, flexible solutions. But more than anything, they want simplicity. They want systems that work without needing a full-time technician in every room.” That thememaking technology simpler - echoed throughout this discussion and reflects the realities that schools face at every level, from K-12 classrooms to sprawling university lecture halls.

End-to-end isn’t optional

One of the key shifts in the education market is the

move toward end-to-end AV ecosystems. Horvath noted that while Kramer was historically known for signal management - matrix switchers, extenders, and the like - the company’s evolution into a full-stack AV provider has allowed it to serve more complex education needs from start to finish. “We’re now able to lead a conversation whether someone needs a cable or a fully connected lecture theatre,” he said. “And it’s not just about stacking products - it’s about ensuring they all work together and can be deployed and managed simply.” This is especially important in education, where systems are expected to run with minimal intervention. “The IT team might only visit a room when something goes wrongand sometimes that’s already too late,” Horvath pointed out.

Designing for the reality of teaching

Teachers and students aren’t AV experts, nor should they have to be. “That’s why simplicity is so important. The last thing you want is a system that distracts from teaching or causes anxiety,” said Horvath. Modern matrix switchers and presentation systems now incorporate multiple video inputs and outputs, USB-C connectivity, wireless casting, built-in audio amplification, and video wall support - all in one box. These kinds of systems make it easier for schools to streamline their technology stack while offering future-proof capabilities like Dante audio, USB 3.0, and AV-over-IP readiness. USB-C, in particular, has emerged as a universal connector across many of the products in the education space. It enables one-cable simplicity for power, audio, video, and data - meaning students can walk in with their devices and plug in without fiddling with adapters or dongles.

BYOD and wireless flexibility

If COVID-19 accelerated the push toward hybrid learning, the post-pandemic landscape has cemented Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) as a long-term reality in education. “It’s actually growing,” Horvath explained. “Institutions realised they don’t need to over-engineer every room with dedicated, licensed systems. With BYOD, you’re more agile. You can deploy rooms faster, with fewer costs and no per-room licenses.”

One wireless presentation system allows four users to present simultaneously, supports high-resolution streaming, and enables wireless USB connectivity between student laptops and in-room cameras, displays, and microphones. These small, app-powered devices reduce cabling needs, allow for plug-and-play usage, and can even generate their own hotspot to avoid overloading school networks. “Some of the feedback we’ve gotten is about how seamless it is,” Horvath said. “It’s not just easy to set up - it’s easy to use, even for staff who aren’t tech-savvy.”

Accessibility is key

User-friendliness also translates into accessibility gains, especially for students with visual or mobility impairments. One feature Horvath highlighted was the ability for students in large rooms to view the main display directly on their personal device - whether that’s a laptop, tablet, or phone - so no one is squinting from the back row. “And there are other features too, like colour-adjustment settings for colourblind users and text enhancements,” he said. “They don’t get talked about enough, but they really matter.”

Sustainable solutions for strained budgets

Sustainability is another area where education institutions are demanding more - not just for the planet, but for the total cost of ownership. “Some of the newer AVover-IP encoders and decoders use half the power of competing models,” Horvath noted. “Over five years, with 100 devices, that energy efficiency adds up — both financially and in terms of environmental impact.” LED displays, increasingly popular across university campuses, also offer sustainability benefits over traditional video walls, requiring less frequent replacements and less energy overall. Plus, LED video walls allow for modular repairs; swapping out an LED panel is far easier and cheaper than replacing an entire display. Add in remote device management, firmware updates, and the ability to schedule system behaviour from a central portal, and it’s easy to see how sustainability ties directly into smarter operations.

Centralised management and preventative support

For IT staff overseeing dozens or even hundreds of rooms across a campus, the challenge is not just deployment but management. That’s where centralised

software platforms - like Kramer’s new vendor-agnostic Panta Rhei software - enter the picture. “The goal is to give staff a single pane of glass,” Horvath said. “You can monitor every room, every device, across every building - even if they’re not all from the same manufacturer.” This capability is especially valuable for preventative maintenance. If a projector or camera goes offline, the system can trigger a support ticket, send an alert via Microsoft Teams or Slack, or even integrate directly with service desk platforms like JIRA or ServiceNow. “The beauty is that IT teams can fix problems before the class even starts,” Horvath said.

Advice for educators: think long-term, think simple

For school administrators and IT decision-makers heading into the new school year, Horvath’s advice is straightforward: embrace scalable solutions that are easy to use, easy to manage and built to grow. “AV-overIP is where things are going because you can start small and expand as needed,” he said. “Traditional matrix switchers still have their place - especially in lecture halls - but for schools thinking long-term, flexibility is key.”

And when evaluating new technology, don’t underestimate the power of the USB-C cable - a humble connector that now carries video, audio, power, and data all in one. As Horvath put it: “It’s not just a cable. It’s the starting point for an end-to-end system that supports everything from lesson delivery to remote monitoring.”

For educators, students, and support staff alike, that kind of clarity is priceless, because it allows them to focus their time and energy on teaching and learning. Even in the age of AI and quantum computing, the advice of Thoreau is more essential than ever: “Simplify, simplify.”

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All-in-one videobars ‘Kings of conferencing’ for Boom

Manufacturer Boom Collaboration has generated a record-breaking 28% rise in videobar sales this year, as part of a growing overall sector expected to be worth more than $8bn annually. Demand now equates to over 40% of the company’s overall product portfolio where the Boom HALO videobar has become its best-selling product.

Simplicity, versatility and hitting the sweet spot of affordability and economies of scale are some of the many reasons for the ‘sales explosion’, according to Co-Founder, Fredrik Hörnkvist. “It’s a worldwide phenomenon from the UK to Puerto Rico, US, Europe and Latam,” he explained. “I think the biggest appeal is how they are ideally suited to so many locations, from a huddle room to quite large environments, accommodating up to 20 people. The mics, camera and speakers are all contained in one easy-to-use unit which looks aesthetically pleasing discreetly on a wall.”

Hörnkvist added: “According to some of the latest industry research videobar sales are set to eclipse $8bn in sales over the coming years with an annual growth rate of around 10%. But for us we are seeing much more demand of almost 30% this year. They have become the new kings of conferencing.” Boom’s videobar portfolio is spearheaded by the HALO which features a 4K UHD camera, six microphone array and high-fidelity speakers for a seamless collaboration experience. Available in white and black colours, it boasts many advanced features such as facial recognition, speaker tracking, intelligent noise reduction and AI auto-framing. Additional ports allow for audio expansion for flexible rooms and growing teams. In addition, the company’s high specification AURA all-in-one device and UNO portable vertical videobar are also proving very popular.

“Customers are looking for simplicity,” said Co-Founder Holli Hulett. “When the camera, audio and intelligence all come together in one unit, it’s easy for anyone to use and easy for IT to deploy. That’s where videobars win and why we’re seeing such strong adoption. Videobars make collaboration accessible to everyone from

small huddle rooms to larger spaces with add-on mics. They’re helping teams focus on the meeting instead of the technology. That’s a shift we’re excited to be leading at Boom. Our goal is to take that simplicity even further by helping businesses scale collaboration across all their rooms with solutions that are flexible, affordable and built for the future of hybrid work.” She concluded: “They tick every box for the majority of rooms. Equally it’s said every person you add above six to a video call, decreases meeting room participation by around 10% per person. So smaller group settings are more conducive to a productive meeting as there’s less people taking their turn to speak. These are the most common areas now, where videobars can really shine.”

ViewSonic makes eco-friendly projection accessible

ViewSonic Corp has introduced the LSD400 Series, featuring two new 4,000 ANSI Lumens laser projectorsLSD400W and the short-throw LSD400HDST - as practical and reliable additions to its Luminous Superior Series (LS Series). Equipped with high-efficiency laser light sources, these models deliver high brightness with lower 49% of power consumption, reducing the total cost of ownership, which is ideal for large-scale deployments in business and educational environments. “ViewSonic is advancing sustainable projection with lamp-free technology, which now makes up 70% of our lineup and delivers eco-friendly and low-maintenance solutions,” said Dean Tsai, General Manager of Projector & LED Display Business Unit at ViewSonic. “Building

on our recent 9- fold sales growth in the 5,000+ ANSI Lumens lamp-free segment, we’re committed to expanding our portfolio with the new 4,000 ANSI Lumens models that combine performance and accessibility to provide long-term value and meet evolving professional demands.”

The LSD400 Series supports Golf Mode and flexible installation, giving golf simulation venues a realistic experience with easy setup. Featuring the advanced 3rd gen laser phosphor technology, the LSD400 Series delivers enhanced brightness and luminous efficiency, meanwhile consumes up to 49% less power than comparable lamp-based models, helping reduce energy costs in everyday operation. Its 30,000-hour lifespan eliminates the need for regular lamp replacements in traditional solutions, which require up to five light bulb replacements to match the same usage time. This significantly reduces maintenance, minimizes resource waste, and eliminates the risk of mercury pollution. Its lower operating temperature also results in quieter fan operation, enhancing the overall audiovisual experience. The LSD400W Reliable Visual Quality and Deployment Flexibility Designed for versatile installation, the series features 360° projection, H/V keystone correction, and 4-corner adjustment. This allows placement from various angles to suit different room layouts without distorting the image.

While the series can project visuals up to 300 inches, the short-throw model can produce a 100-inch image from just 1.1 meters in compact environments. Powered by DLP technology, the LSD400 Series delivers consistent brightness and colour performance over time

without yellowing, making it ideal for meeting rooms and classrooms where clear, reliable visuals are essential. This performance is equally important for immersive applications, such as golf simulators, where the dedicated Golf Mode enhances colour vibrancy to produce realistic, lifelike visuals. Its sealed, filter-free engine prevents dust from entering internal components, ensuring long-term performance with minimal maintenance. For large-scale deployments, LAN control with Crestron certification and compatibility with other third-party control systems simplifies centralized device management, allowing IT teams to efficiently manage multiple rooms and locations.

DigitalGlue previews Creative Intelligence (CI) video AI engine

DigitalGlue, creator of the award-winning creative.space managed storage platform, today announced a technology preview of Creative Intelligence (CI) powered by creative.space. Creative Intelligence is a comprehensive platform that leverages advanced AI to extract maximum value from video and image content. The application serves as a digital laboratory where users can upload, analyze, and interact with their video assets through multiple AI-powered analysis modules, including transcription, visual recognition, intelligent tagging, shot and sequence detection, and contextual insights. Set to launch in early 2026, CI will give media teams unprecedented creative control through a single prompt-based interface. Attendees of IBC 2025 could get a sneak peek of CI in action at the Symply booth (7.C21). For decades, video teams have fought the same frustrating battle: finding the right element at the right time. Creative Intelligence ends this friction by replacing rigid folder structures and manual metadata entry with a conversational interface. Powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) and deep AI analysis, the system reads and understands every frame, word, and technical detail of your assets - online, nearline, and/or archive. Users can simply describe what they want - “a slow-motion shot of the CEO smiling from last year’s conference” - and get curated, time-coded results instantly.

Tim Anderson, CEO of DigitalGlue, explained that this shift represents a fundamental change in how media teams could work. “For years, the industry has accepted that finding content is just part of the job,” Anderson said. “We believe that time should be spent creating, not searching. Creative Intelligence turns all your assets - video, photo, and audio-only into a conversationevery shot, every moment, instantly at your fingertips. This is the future of media management, and we’re excited to give a sneak peek at IBC 2025.” Key capabilities of the new tool include:

AI-Driven Content Understanding: Automated sentence and word speech-to-text in more than 150 languages, actions, logos, locations, objects, people, shot change, scene identification, sentiment analysis, full text summaries, and smart tagging.

Deep Technical Insight: Instant access to comprehensive embedded file data, including codecs, resolution, color depth, camera used, sensor, lens, Adobe Premiere XMP values, and storage location.

Natural Language Access: A single prompt box connects creatives to their entire asset library, enabling searches that understand nuance, mood, and intent. Curated Results: Clips arrive with thumbnails, timecodes, explanations, and direct links to high-resolution files -- ready for edit.

Creative Intelligence is more than a tool; it’s a creative accelerator. By reducing the time spent digging through files and folders, teams can reclaim lost hours, uncover hidden gems, and concentrate on storytelling. It democratizes access, making the power of an expert librarian available to every editor, producer, and creative on the team. Creative Intelligence will officially launch in early 2026.

INFiLED ahead of the curve at IBC2025?

INFiLED has announced its latest innovations and solutions tailored for the broadcast, xR and virtual production markets. The highlights of this year’s IBC booth were be INFiLED’sXmk2 and Xmk3 Series.Theultra-thin,lightweightXmk2 Series is an ideal option for creative LED installations featuring extremely smooth curves and wide viewing angles. With a bend angle that can reach up to ±30° and 7position adjustment gears, its innovative design and patented modules allow the Xmk2Series can adapt to unlimited installation possibilities. Alongside the Xmk2, visitors had the opportunity to preview the forthcoming Xmk3Series, INFiLED’s next generation of LED display technology for high-end virtual production environments. Building on the success of the Xmk2 series, the Xmk3 takes INFiLED’s innovative LED technology even further, offering outstanding image reliability, exceptional greyscale performance and flexible configuration options.

Tailored for innovative LED solutions in rental environments, including virtual production studios, exhibition spaces and sports venues the Xmk3 Series is designed with a modular structure and adjustable curvature spanning from-45° to 45°. The series allows seamless construction of bold, eye-catching displays in a smooth wave design that grab attention and boost user experience. The Xmk3 series integrates advanced technologies such as ArmorLED for enhanced durability, CBSF for improved visual performance, and optional SolidSkin for extra screen protection-ensuring the display excels in both reliability and image quality across demanding environments. Supporting the Xmk2and Xmk3will be select models from the WP Series, including second-generation ColdLED-enabled displays and highlights from the proven Studio Series, now a pillar for broadcast and film applications worldwide. Having been engineered to solve long-standing challenges around LED heat generation, energy efficiency and long-term durability, INFiLED’s ColdLED-equipped panels deliver

The highlights of this year’s IBC booth were be INFiLED’sXmk2 and

brighter visuals with significantly reduced power consumption and thermal output. It’s cool, touchable surface maintains stable light wavelength and preserves performance during extended use, providing a 30% reduction in power consumption and extending the lifespan of components.

Alongside ColdLED, visitors can also explore the benefits of INFiLED’s broader suite of LED technologies, including CBSF (Color & Brightness Shift Free), Armor LED, SolidSkin, and INFINITE COLORS. The INFiLED stand once again featured a fully operational broadcast studio, equipped with cutting-edge LED panels designed to showcase real-world production workflows. As part of this year’s programme, INFiLED will present ‘INFiLED & Friends’, a series of talks and panel sessions in collaboration with key technology partners and industry leaders including Brompton, Disguise, RED, G&D, Wave Media and NovaStar. Attendees can enjoy insights into content creation, LED innovation and the future of immersive media–all delivered in a dynamic, studio-style setting.

and Xmk3 Series.

Kramer showcased full scope of meeting room solutions

Kramer will showcase its latest meeting room innovations from its Ashton Bentley and ZeeVee portfolio, at UCX London. Held at London’s ExCel from 1st-2nd October, UCX brings together creative minds, technical experts, and the latest tools to enable high-performing, collaborative teams and enhance customer engage-

ment within today’s organisations. Satisfying the ever-growing demand for seamless integration and collaboration in meeting rooms, Kramer will be bringing its latest developments to booth C66 at the ExCel. With over 130 exhibitors, the event will see Kramer showing its comprehensive range of meeting room technology following its acquisition of Ashton Bentley and AVoIP specialists ZeeVee.

Booth visitors will see how AvoIP is delivering even more convenience to both integrators and end users, as well as the latest Ashton Bentley solutions, where meeting room design, functionality and simplicity are taken to a new level. With Ashton Bentley and ZeeVee expertise, Kramer provides total solutions for huddle rooms, small meeting rooms, medium meeting rooms and boardrooms, resulting in a more streamlined process and allowing system integrators to offer more complete and competitive meeting room solutions to their customers. Also taking the spotlight at UCX will be Panta Rhei – Kramer’s single, centralised, cloud-based audio-visual ecosystem platform that encompasses the full audio-visual lifecycle - from the deployment of audio-visual systems to their management, operation, optimization, to the final user experience. Working across entire networked operations of any scale, Panta Rhei provides a suite of services tailored for System Integrators, IT/AV managers, and end-user applications, facilitating easy setup and management of audio-visual environments across diverse sectors and applications. Meeting every user’s needs, attendees at UCX will see the many benefits of Panta Rhei in action, from system set-up and management, to monitoring and comprehensive analytics. Mike McHale, Country Manager for UK & Ireland, spoke of Kramer’s full unified communications offering being showcased: “We always look forward to the vibrancy of UCX. This year, we will have the

full breadth of Kramer solutions on show, from purposely designed furniture to AVoIP network management and, of course, Kramer technology including cameras, speakers and everything needed for a seamless meeting room experience. Following the acquisitions of Ashton Bentley and ZeeVee, we can support our customers on projects of any scale – from education teaching spaces to large corporate rollouts of boardrooms and meeting areas.” He adds: “With our UCX booth, we will be demonstrating how our range of solutions work harmoniously together, with the peace of mind that comes from working with Kramer. We look forward to providing attendees with a warm welcome.”

Leyard DirectLight Pro Series showcased at IBC

The ZeroDensity booth showcased an 8 x 8 DirectLight Pro 1.2mm in a virtual studio setup to demonstrate the company’s XR solutions, with a 4 x 3 panels video wall used to show its on-air graphics solution. The KST Moschkau setting will feature a 6 x 6 DirectLight Pro 0.9mm LED in a broadcast control room setup showing KST Moschkau’s solutions for broadcast studio automation. Both the ZeroDensity virtual studio and KST Moschkau broadcast control room solutions will run on advanced Brompton Technology processing. Made in Europe and enabled by MicroLED technology, the DirectLight Pro Series delivers a wide colour space and deeper blacks for improved video performance and is available in pixel pitches ranges from 0.9 to 1.8 mm. A new high brightness model features exceptional power efficiency to brightness with 1,600 NITs and 135 watts, making it ideal for maximum performance in high ambient light environments. A low power model is also available for energy-conscious customers or applications with low ambient light conditions, offering 500 NITs of brightness with only 68 watts of power consumption. Ideal for a wide range of fixed indoor installation applications, and relied on by many of the major European broadcasters, DirectLight Pro also benefits from modules and cabinets with 45-degree bevelled edges, allowing video walls to wrap around 90-degree corners, front serviceability and high bandwidth for easy installation with maximum efficiency..

VITEC showcases latest video wall controllers at IBC

VITEC introduced its new video wall controllers to the broadcast market at IBC 2025, delivering a flexible, high-performance solution for creative staging and televised video walls.

Designed to support video walls of any size with multiple input options, the Fx4-Series and VSN-Series video wall controllers enable infinite configurations for visually stunning displays, complementing VITEC’s IPTV distribution solution. Visitors to the VITEC stand could also explore the Diamond C1 chassis, the ChannelLink IPto-IP Gateway solution, and the 4K HDMI MGW Diamond-H encoder, which now features recording as well as real-time power consumption monitoring as part of VITEC’s commitment to sustainability. “VITEC Fx4 and VSN video wall controllers bring broadcasters and production teams a powerful solution for creating dynamic, large-scale video walls with flexibility and performance,” says Bryan Reksten, VP Global Marketing at VITEC.

“With the Fx4-Series’ ability to daisy-chain multiple units, even the largest, most complex video walls are possible. We’re excited to introduce them to broadcast audiences at IBC, alongside a host of other enhancements to improve industry workflows.”

VITEC’s Fx4-Series Video Wall Controllers offer options for HDMI, DisplayPort, and SDI input/output. These compact, stand-alone 4K display controllers provide the power and features to support ultra-high-quality video requirements and offer easy configuration and content

Utelogy joins forces with Natilik to enhance managed meeting spaces

visualization. VITEC’s intuitive WallControl 10 software allows users to add displays from the ever-expanding database of monitors, visualize their content by adding inputs, adjust display regions, and instantly program all Fx4 units either via USB or the network ports. Also shown at IBC is the Diamond C1, a modular, single slot chassis designed to support VITEC OG cards, and ideal for organizations seeking a reliable, accessible, and cost-effective solution for video contribution or IPTV head-end applications. It complements ideally the denser Diamond C10 managed chassis. Both chassis are designed to host VITEC OG cards for your IP encoding or decoding needs. VITEC will also highlight the new recording capabilities of its 4K HDMI MGW Diamond-H encoder. In line with VITEC’s sustainability commitment, the MGW Diamond-H now provides power consumption information for users, demonstrating its low power consumption per channel. VITEC’s ChannelLink IP-to-IP Gateway solution now features Live Channel Preview for real-time confidence monitoring, automatic IP channel failover for uninterrupted service, and supports RIST main profiles for interoperability with more IP feeds.

Utelogy Corporation has announced its strategic partnership with Natilik, a trusted IT solutions provider with headquarters in London and offices in New York and Sydney. This collaboration brings Utelogy’s intelligent software platform into Natilik’s long-standing Managed Services portfolio, further strengthening its Managed Meeting Spaces offering. Together, Utelogy and Natilik are enabling enterprises to achieve proactive support, real-time monitoring, historical analytics, and remote troubleshooting across their AV and UC environments. This combination empowers organisations to optimise uptime, streamline operations, and improve user experiences across global deployments. “We’re excited to partner with Utelogy to strengthen our Managed Meeting Spaces offering,” said Emma Simpkin, Service Architect, Natilik. “At Natilik, we are always seeking innovative ways to enhance the services we deliver to our clients, and Utelogy brings a powerful new capability that complements our existing portfolio. We’ve chosen to integrate Utelogy’s leading platform for managing, monitoring, and automating AV and UC systems to deliver a more comprehensive solution into our Managed Meeting Spaces offering. As a B Corp, we’re excited to see the positive impact the platform will have on our clients’ sustainability efforts.”

By embedding Utelogy’s platform into its managed services, Natilik will help organisations achieve greater resilience, faster issue resolution, and improved planning while supporting energy efficiency and cost savings goals. “Partnering with Natilik allows us to extend the value of the Utelogy platform to even more enterprises worldwide,” said Jamie Wright, Sales Manager at Utelogy. “By combining best-in-class managed services with deep insights and automation from Utelogy, we enable IT teams to stay ahead of issues and deliver better collaboration experiences at scale.” This partnership continues Utelogy’s expansion into the global IT and managed services ecosystem, reinforcing its mission to unify the management of AV/UC technology across the modern digital workplace.

Visibox brings immersive live visuals with its new free tier

An elegant answer to overly complex software, Visibox by Spaceage makes VJing simple and inspiring. Now, more artists, creators, and performers can explore live projections thanks to the platform’s new free tier. Anyone can unlock the first powerful set of features and turn any show into a more immersive, expressive moment--no subscription commitment required. Spaceage is also offering a new educator-friendly Visibox “lab license” for schools. Designed to let anyone create immersive stage shows, Visibox turns videos, images, or camera streams into dynamic visuals that add an exciting layer to a live event or livestream. Simple and intuitive, the software lets creators drag and drop video or backing tracks and play them using a laptop, Elgato Stream Deck, or MIDI controller. It can connect to screens and projectors, accommodate multichannel audio output and multicam playback, and run on Macs and PCs.

Live video is quickly becoming a must-have. Video projectors and LED walls are standard equipment at venues large and small, and more and more musicmakers are embracing visuals as part of their sets. Yet the software for VJing and theatrical cues can be frustratingly difficult to use, offering features that most artists don’t need and creating excess technical complexity. Visibox, by contrast, lets people craft live visuals intuitively and quickly, and control it easily from the stage or front of house. “The tools we use shape how we create. We make different music when we write on a piano versus a guitar, for example. Similarly, VJ software lends itself to technical output because it’s a highly technical tool. We wanted to expand the creative possibilities by making things simpler,” reflects Jeff Robbins, founder and creative force behind Spaceage. “If we make the format simple, people can organically express themselves. Just shoot something outside--in the tour bus, in a forest, wherever you’d like--and project it.”

Robbins and partner Darrel O’Pry have deep expertise that allowed them to build software that bridges the audio and the visual in inspiring ways. Robbins has had a double career as a successful touring musician and a pioneering web developer for icons like Ringo Starr and Martha Stewart. Similarly, O’Pry has had careers as an AV and lighting tech and as the head of a successful web development agency. They are both highly aware of what livestreamers and performers need to jump into live visuals, an increasingly important part of any show or stream. “We’ve hit a tipping point when video capabilities are everywhere and artists are coming to expect them when they play,” says O’Pry. “Artists realize they’re being left behind if they’re not incorporating visuals into their performance. But we’re here to show them they can use video affordably, no matter where or how they perform. We’ve

made what was once out of reach for most artists far more accessible and fun.”

Visibox’s new free tier opens up new creative possibilities to students, educators, performers, artists, and anyone who wants to experiment with creating immersive performances and environments. Visibox’s premium tier now includes more advanced control and functionality such as multichannel audio, multiscreen video, and MIDI control. Visibox comes with UI translations for English, Spanish, French, and German.

Dalet unveils agentic AI media workflows

Dalet has announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natural language conversational-style user experience. Far more than an AI chatbot, Dalia is an intelligent layer embedded across Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid, Dalet InStream, Dalet Brio, and Dalet Amberfin, featuring a family of media-aware agents that act as assistants to facilitate complex workflows across ingest, production, rights management, distribution and archive. By combining the simple-to-use characteristics of SaaS point solutions with the enterprise strength of Dalet’s architecture and workflow expertise, the company has made a game-changing move forward, giving customers both the industry’s most powerful news, sports, and media supply chain solu-

tion and its most user-friendly.

“After a year of shaping and executing our product strategy, we’re thrilled to bring this vision to life,” said Stephen Garland, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Dalet. “From day one, we have challenged ourselves and the industry to deliver the kind of seamless, user-centric experience that consumers now expect. What we’re unveiling isn’t just another tool or AI chatbot. It’s intelligence beyond an agent, a transformational leap that unifies the entire Dalet ecosystem under a single interface. With this launch, media professionals can reimagine how they work, leveraging the full power of our platform through a conversation with a trusted assistant.” Built on Dalet’s open core API, the agentic interface sits above all applications in the Dalet portfolio, offering a single conversational entry point to powerful functions. Users can ask the agent to locate assets, build title collections based on rights status, trigger review workflows, or schedule live ingest, and the system will execute these tasks end-to-end.

Unlike generic chatbots, Dalet’s conversational AI interface and Agents are “media aware”: trained on the company’s own orchestration and media engine, not on customer data. This allows users to securely interact with a full range of media types directly within the chat. Training and analysing of media is done within the core platform providing complete control of what engines access customers’ content. Dalet AI Agents understand how to search, clip, transcode, and package content

without users leaving the chat. This approach augments traditional user interfaces for many day-to-day tasks, giving users the ability to perform complex operations with ease.

The new Agentic AI capability is the result of Dalet’s bold approach to innovation, driven by Dalet CPTO, Stephen Garland. Building on his proven track record of scaling innovation across other industries, Stephen defined and executed a strategy for media that combines the rigor of an enterprise roadmap with the agility of a startup. To accelerate this vision, he established a “startup within Dalet”. The cross-functional team was led by Erwan Kerfourn, together with Matteo De Martinis and Aaron Kroger. “This started as a ‘Skunk Works’ inside Dalet, a startup-style lab where a cross-functional team could move at breakneck speed,” said Erwan Kerfourn. “By combining that freedom to experiment with Dalet’s agile architecture, we turned bold ideas into a market-ready breakthrough. The result is an intelligent layer that feels like a media-savvy colleague, eliminating friction from workflows and giving customers new freedom to create, sell, distribute, and publish faster than ever.” Operating at a rapid pace, while remaining aligned with Dalet’s overall strategy, the team could experiment, iterate, and bring breakthrough ideas to market without disrupting daily operations.

Shure debuts the first digital array microphone tailored for broadcast

Shure has advanced the field of audio capture for broadcast with the groundbreaking DCA901 Planar Array Microphone. Designed for sports, studio, and live event production, DCA901 delivers front-row sound to viewers while reducing the number of microphones and cables required. With digitally steerable lobes and onboard digital signal processing, engineers can isolate sources, reduce ambient noise, and maintain total control over the mix. DCA901 is the first product in Shure’s new Arqos portfolio. which is designed with the vision of bringing together array microphones, signal processing and software to deliver cleaner and more precise audio acquisition, remote management, and efficiency for productions. “The DCA901 can completely change workflows in any broadcast sport because it provides ultimate capture flexibility and allows you to change things in an instant if needed. It won’t compromise any element of the show. I deployed them in an NBA game and was completely shocked at the amount of coverage: that two arrays could cover the whole NBA floor. I would have needed twelve mics to try to capture the same thing. It was unbelievable.” – Dave Grundtvig, Senior Audio Supervisor, Remote Operations. Available next year, DCA901 replaces traditional workflows and complex setups with a streamlined, high-fidelity solution. DCA901 represents a strategic milestone, expanding Shure’s presence in digital broadcast and sports audio capture, aligning with the Company’s vision of seamless, scalable, and software-driven audio systems. “Conventional methods for capturing audio

have become increasingly complex as broadcast production standards and audience expectations continue to rise,” said Nick Wood, Associate Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Management, at Shure. “With DCA901, audio engineers can now do more with less, delivering sound that pulls viewers even closer to the action with fewer microphones and cables.”

DCA901 lays the foundation for the future of experiential audio capture, delivering unmatched detail, superior control, and simplified workflows. It advances immersive experiences and multichannel audio by capturing previously elusive elements like talent dialogue and onset or on-field movements. Its digitally steerable lobes isolate voices and action, minimizing crowd noise and bleed. DCA901 provides wider coverage than analog sources, and delivers up to eight isolated channels of focused, high-fidelity audio. Additionally, DCA901 can simultaneously and seamlessly capture 5.1 and stereo conversion, supporting both modern and traditional broadcast formats.

DCA901 provides full command of the audio environment with real-time digital tools that can adapt instantly. Integrated DSP with automixing, EQ, compression, and delay deliver consistent quality audio with minimal post-processing. Designed for ease of use and engineer-friendly deployment, DCA901’s digitally steerable lobes can replace multiple shotgun or parabolic mics, reducing complexity and onsite setup time. A single-cable Dante or AES67 connection simplifies routing and reduces cable infrastructure, combining audio, power, and control into one source. Remote control capabilities allow audio professionals to adjust pickup zones without onsite intervention, while also supporting REMI workflows and alternate feeds with flexible routing. The low-profile, all-black design blends seamlessly into stadiums, studios, and mobile sets without disrupting camera-ready environments.

Shure is collaborating with EDGE Sound Research to pair DCA901 with the startup’s Virtual Sound Engine software. Working in tandem, the two tools adapt in real-time to follow the movement of players, referees, or the ball, individually or in combination. Together, DCA901 and Virtual Sound Engine reveal moments that were once buried in the mix, giving engineers unprecedented adaptability and creative control. “Using Shure’s DCA901 in live sports enables the pairing of world-class capture with our Virtual Sound Engine to advance the future of sports storytelling,” said Valtteri Salomaki. Co-Founder & CEO of EDGE Sound Research. “Together, we are moving beyond static mixes into dynamic, object-based broadcasts that bring fans closer to the game and enhance the live viewing experience.”

Neumann expands its KH line with five new subwoofers

German pro audio specialist Neumann has announced the launch of five new DSP-powered subwoofers in its acclaimed KH series: KH 805 II, KH 810 II and KH 870 II, as well as their Audio-over-IP (AoIP) counterparts KH 810 II AES67 and KH 870 II AES67. With high SPL capabilities, these subwoofers deliver unmatched precision, power, and flexibility for stereo, surround, and immersive audio workflows. “With immersive audio becoming the new standard across music, post-production, and broadcast, reliable monitoring is more important than ever,” said Yasmine Riechers, CEO of Neumann. “Our new KH subwoofers offer scalable solutions for every studio size and format – from stereo to surround and immersive – while integrating seamlessly with both analogue and DSP-equipped KH monitors.”

The KH 805 II builds on the success of the KH 750 DSP, offering approximately double the output for greater headroom and low-end authority. It’s the ideal choice for stereo setups using Neumann’s KH 120 II, KH 150 or KH 310 monitors. The KH 810 II adds multichannel

Shure has advanced the field of audio capture for broadcast with the

the groundbreaking DCA901 Planar Array Microphone.

bass management for systems up to 7.1.4, making it perfect for immersive audio production. It shares the same acoustic design as the KH 805 II and supports bass management for up to eleven studio monitors. At the top of the range, the KH 870 II doubles the output of the KH 810 II while offering identical multichannel capabilities. Tailored for large rooms and high-demand applications, it pairs effortlessly with large-format monitors like the KH 420.

The KH 810 II AES67 and KH 870 II AES67 integrate seamlessly into modern broadcast and networked audio environments. Supporting 12 AES67 input channels and full compliance with ST 2110, ST 2022-7 redundancy, RAVENNA, NMOS, and DANTE-generated streams, these models offer future-proof flexibility and full system integration. All new KH subwoofers feature Neumann’s advanced DSP engine, enabling seamless system alignment via MA 1 Automatic Monitor Alignment (sold separately). This allows users to optimize their entire monitoring setup – including analogue KH speakers – for room acoustics and phase coherence. With low-frequency extension down to 16 Hz, these subwoofers provide the clarity and control needed for critical mixing and mastering decisions. With the addi-

tion of these new models, Neumann now offers a complete range of DSP-controlled subwoofers – from the compact KH 750 DSP to the powerful KH 870 II – covering all monitoring needs from stereo to immersive audio across music production, editing, post-production, scoring, mixing, and mastering. All models reach the hearing threshold of 16 Hz and, together with Neumann studio monitors, enable reference sound across the entire frequency spectrum. “Our new subwoofers offer significant advancements, with dramatically reduced distortion and port noise”, said Stephan Mauer, Head of Product. “It’s worth noting that they can be combined with both analogue and DSP-controlled KH Line studio monitors, making them the perfect tool for upgrading an existing stereo system and/or expanding it for immersive monitoring. They also offer the option of precise room alignment via MA 1 of the entire system. In other words: no more low-end guesswork.”

Limecraft 2025.6 advances online collaboration

Limecraft today announced the release of version 2025.6 of its cloud-based media production and delivery platform, extending its leadership in collaborative workflows and integrated subtitling solutions. “IBC 2025 made it clear that the industry is embracing pragmatism: hybrid setups, useful AI, and seamless integration,” says Maarten Verwaest, co-founder and CRO of Limecraft. “This release is our direct response. It focuses on making online collaboration easier, subtitling more flexible, and account management more transparent”. At the centre of the release is a major upgrade to the Limecraft panel, now allowing users to upload and exchange sequences as easily as sharing media. Editors and production teams can work more fluidly across sites and time zones, exchanging edits without friction. This reduces delays in distributed productions and ensures that collaborative workflows are not just technically possible but smooth in everyday practice. Version 2025.6 also brings new player shortcuts, allowing reviewers and editors to seek more efficiently through media files. This makes quality control and editorial decisions faster and less error prone.

Subtitlers benefit from custom speaker change indicators, expanding the traditional dash or hyphen to any preferred symbol. This flexibility enables subtitling teams to align outputs with broadcaster or client-specific style guides, further reducing post-editing and review time. To improve account management, automatic notifications are now sent to account owners when usage limits are reached. Customers receive timely updates as they approach overages, ensuring there are no surprises and that teams can plan ahead with confidence.

“With 2025.6, we’re building on what we knew was coming at IBC,” adds Verwaest. “Production teams need tools that are reliable, predictable, and tailored to their workflows. This release brings tangible gains in speed, collaboration, and control.”

Clear-Com communicates at Houston’s Alley Theatre

Clear-Com is proud to support the world-class productions of Alley Theatre, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit resident theatres in the United States. With a storied history dating back to 1947, the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre produces acclaimed classics, bold new works, and community programs that reach nearly 200,000 people annually across Houston.

Alley Theatre has been a longtime user of Clear-Com product and has deployed Clear-Com’s flagship Arcadia Central Station, integrating FreeSpeak II digital wireless beltpacks and HelixNet digital party line systems across its two performance spaces: the 774-seat Hubbard Theatre and the 296-seat Neuhaus Theatre. This powerful combination allows stage managers, board operators, technicians, and creative teams to remain seamlessly connected throughout Alley’s 75,000 square-foot Centre for Theatre Production. “Clear-Com is absolutely essential to the way our team communicates,” said Chandler Oppenheimer, Assistant Sound Director at Alley Theatre. “We utilise wireless beltpacks with Bluetooth integration for our FOH mixers and rely on HelixNet to support our automation crews. Clear-Com provides the reliability and flexibility we need to produce theatre at the highest level.”

Alley’s system includes:

•Arcadia Central Station with Dante integration for backstage paging and archival recording

•20 FreeSpeak II wireless beltpacks and six transceiver antennas providing coverage across both theatres and extensive backstage areas

•20 HelixNet wired beltpacks and multiple remote stations for stage management and board operators

•Speaker stations deployed in offices and automation stations to extend communication beyond the stage This infrastructure allows Alley Theatre to mount technically complex productions, such as its annual A Christmas Carol, where up to 16 wireless beltpacks are used simultaneously to synchronise every department. “Alley Theatre is a cornerstone of Houston’s cultural life and a leader in the American theatre movement” said Katherine Moore, Clear-Com. “As a Houston native, it was es-

pecially meaningful to tour behind the scenes at Alley Theatre and see how Clear-Com is woven into every production. Chandler and the Alley team showed me firsthand how vital seamless communication is to bring world-class theatre to our city, and I couldn’t be prouder that Clear-Com is part of their process.”

For a repertory theatre producing classics, world premieres, and large-scale stagings in rotating repertory, flexibility is non-negotiable. Alley’s technical crew may configure a compact comms setup for an intimate Neuhaus Theatre play one week, then expand the system to cover the 774-seat Hubbard Theatre with multiple operators on lights, sound, projections, fly rail, and deck the next. FreeSpeak II’s robust wireless coverage helps crew members move freely across the 75,000-squarefoot Meredith J. Long Theatre Centre without fear of losing connection. Ultimately, Clear-Com enables Alley to meet the artistic vision of its directors with precision, giving audiences in Houston and beyond the fantastic theatrical experiences Alley is known for. As Oppenheimer notes, “the audience may never see the backstage choreography, but they absolutely feel the impact of a team that communicates with accuracy and trust.”

Transforming construction efficiency with Ascentae and Nialli

The construction industry has long been associated with inefficiencies, fragmented communication and delays. Rising error costs, unpredictable timelines, and a lack of standardisation often hinder productivity. For Willmott Dixon, an increase in error-related costs compounded these industry-wide challenges, leading to a strategic drive to improve efficiency and gain control of on-site delivery. The need for digitisation within the organisation became increasingly evident. Traditional methods of planning and communication, often reliant on analogue tools like spreadsheets and sticky notes, made it difficult to adapt to projects’ fast-changing demands and deal with external contractors. A more collaborative, transparent, and data-driven approach was necessary to standardise processes, improve productivity, and meet project timelines.

Willmott Dixon recognised that adopting modern digital solutions is the key to achieving these goals. By leveraging technology, they could streamline operations, provide real-time insights, and foster better collaboration among teams and supply chain partners. The company began exploring collaborative planning approaches to address these challenges, starting with a trial at

the University of Birmingham. However, the manual processes initially tested quickly ran into limitations, reinforcing the need for scalable digital tools.

The turning point came in 2019 when the Willmott Dixon team met Ascentae at their Farringdon showroom. During this meeting, Ascentae introduced Nialli, a software solution that seamlessly integrates with the Last Planner System. Nialli replicates the familiar analogue processes in a digital format, making it easier for teams to adopt while driving consistency, collaboration, and improved project outcomes. The global pandemic in 2020 further accelerated the need for digitisation across the Willmott Dixon organisation. Remote working and social distancing created a perfect storm for disruption, forcing companies to rethink how they collaborate.

The team at Willmott Dixon collaborated with Ascentae to bring the London and Southeast teams fully operational within days, demonstrating the agility and resilience of the digital combination of Nialli software powered by large-format displays. This rapid adaptation ensured business continuity and proved the value of collaborative, cloud-based tools in overcoming industry-wide challenges.

To ensure long-term success, Willmott Dixon rolled out collaborative planning across the business, focusing on cultural change and transitioning from using analogue methods to implementing digital collaborative planning solutions with Nialli. Nialli offers a cutting-edge digital platform designed to replicate the simplicity and familiarity of analogue planning tools, such as sticky notes and whiteboards, while delivering the powerful advantages of a connected, data-driven system. Its intuitive interface allows users to adapt quickly, and most users can confidently navigate the system within 30 minutes. This ease of use made Nialli the perfect solution for Willmott Dixon, as it bridged the gap between traditional methods and modern technology. With features tailored to support collaborative planning, Nialli provided live visibility into project progress, enabling teams to track performance, identify challenges, and address issues proactively. The solution’s baked-in data and standardised approach ensured reliable insights, empowering decision-making and fostering alignment across teams and supply chain partners. By integrating seamlessly into Willmott Dixon’s workflows, Nialli supported their goal of improving efficiency, enhancing quality, and delivering projects ahead of schedule.

Key routines and behaviors were established, including:

Daily breakdowns and challenges.

A six-week lookahead to anticipate challenges. Engagement metrics to track progress. With live performance visibility, the team began identifying trends and opportunities within the data, driving adoption and delivering actionable insights.

The implementation of collaborative planning, powered by Nialli’s intuitive platform, brought transformative benefits to Willmott Dixon:

Improved Performance Metrics: The company dra-

APPLICATION

matically increased PPC (Percent Planned Complete) from 40% to 72%. This previously unavailable metric now serves as an early warning indicator, enabling the proactive identification and addressing of project issues.

Operational Efficiency: By fostering a planned and structured approach, Willmott Dixon reduced reactive work, minimised defects, and improved overall quality. One project finished three weeks ahead of schedule, highlighting the efficiency gains.

Supply Chain Engagement: Nialli’s simplicity and stickynote-like interface encouraged supply chain participation. The ability to visualise work areas and labour availability enabled more efficient site operations and better supply chain collaboration.

Enhanced Decision-Making: The ability to trust and rely on standardised, baked-in data transformed decision-making processes. Teams could now have calm, productive conversations, using data to align solutions rather than relying on assumptions.

Workplace Benefits: The structured planning approach created less stressful, more productive team environments. Employees reported higher engagement and satisfaction with projects progressing as planned.

Customer Satisfaction: Improved planning and execution resulted in higher customer satisfaction, positioning Willmott Dixon as a leader in efficient project delivery. Through its partnership with Ascentae and Nialli, Willmott Dixon has made significant strides in efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. This collaboration highlights the transformative power of technology and structured planning in modern construction.

Ashton Bentley delivers seamless BYOD meeting experience

Ashton Bentley, a Kramer company, has played a central role in transforming the meeting room experience at Halkin Mainframe, one of London’s most prestigious flexible workspaces. Six new meeting rooms at the venue now feature a dual conferencing setup that combines the reliability of dedicated Zoom Rooms with the versatility of BYOD connectivity, powered by Ashton Bentley BX USB-C Breakout Hubs.

Housed in a striking historic building, that has been carefully reimagined for modern working, Halkin Mainframe offers a mix of private offices, open plan coworking, creative breakout areas, and a multi-functional event space. Designed to appeal to businesses looking for both flexibility and a premium environment, the venue blends contemporary interiors with cutting-edge infrastructure. Meeting rooms are central to this offer, providing tenants and guests with professional, technology-enabled spaces that can adapt to different styles of collaboration. For Halkin, the challenge was to ensure that the AV systems in these rooms were as versatile and intuitive as the workspace itself.

The BX Hub delivered exactly that: discreet, under-desk units that allow users to connect their own device securely and immediately access the room’s con-

ferencing ecosystem.“We selected Ashton Bentley due to the success and reliability we’ve had with them on previous projects,” explained Jack Cornish, Technical Director at Tateside, the project’s integration partner.

“The BX has proven to be a great piece of kit that delivers what, on the face of it, appears to be a simple task — yet this is exactly where many of the more supposedly cost-effective hubs have let us down.”

Alongside Neat Board Pro systems running Zoom Rooms, the Ashton Bentley BX Hubs ensure every meeting room at Halkin Mainframe is platform-agnostic, giving users the choice between native Zoom experiences or instantly switching to Teams, Webex, Google Meet, or any other platform from their own device. The BX USB-C Breakout Hub is purpose-built for professional meeting room environments where reliability, versatility and simplicity are critical. Scalable to rooms of any size, its benefits to seamless meeting room engagement include:

•Secure USB-C connection – A locking USB-C connector prevents accidental disconnections, ensuring that meetings run smoothly without interruption.

•Automatic 5V USB switching – The hub intelligently

Ashton Bentley, a Kramer company, has played a central role in transforming of London’s most prestigious flexible workspaces.

NuVideo’s digital transformation project for Edinburgh airport

Edinburgh Airport has recently undergone a transformative project to enhance and modernise passenger journeys. With over 40 airlines operating from the airport and a growing demand for a more modern, digital-first environment, the airport required a new and updated visual infrastructure that would be engaging and informative, as well as ultimately create a seamless and intuitive experience for travellers.

Project lead, NuVideo, a systems integrator based close to Edinburgh, was tasked with delivering a seamless, future-ready digital solution to enhance the passenger journey through immersive and intuitive visual experiences. NuVideo integrated a range of products from Absen, Datapath and BrightSign that together, elevate the airport’s digital signage to new heights of engagement and functionality. The project includes several key visual enhancements: A striking floor-to-ceiling curved LED wall located at duty-free, provides both advertising and essential wayfinding information. The existing check-in desk video wall has been extended by 24 metres, with an additional 164 cabinets, making the entire LED wall an impressive 106 metres in length. Furthermore, a 6x2.5 metre display offers passengers crucial flight information and wayfinding assistance.

switches between the installed Zoom Room system and a user’s own laptop or device, delivering seamless BYOD handover every time.

•Multiple mounting options – Compact and discreet, the BX can be fixed under desks or into cable trays, keeping installations clean and uncluttered.

•Robust power delivery – Provides consistent, regulated power to connected devices, eliminating the dropouts and reliability issues often associated with consumer-grade hubs.

•– Engineered for commercial use, the BX Hub is designed to withstand the rigours of daily hotdesking and shared workspace environments.

“With the BX Hub, Halkin Mainframe’s meeting rooms now offer a premium user experience that reflects the quality of the workspace itself,” added Cornish. “The result is a truly versatile environment where BYOD always works, first time, every time.”

. transforming the meeting room experience at Halkin Mainframe, one

The digital transformation fully utilises Absen’s state-ofthe-art LED technology, with each display being strategically selected for its technical excellence and efficiency in displaying high quality content, as well as the ability to maximise passenger engagement while also enhancing the airport’s visual landscape. The new duty-free floor-to-ceiling LED wall utilises Absen’s 1.8mm pixel pitch KLCOB Micro LED. With optimised colour brilliance features through its black surface and flipchip technology, the KLCOB is also robust and impact resistant, making it ideal for such high traffic areas. Absen’s hero sustainability product, the A27, created the extension of the existing check in-wall, making it, currently, the largest LED check-in screen in Europe. Featuring energy-saving technology, the A27 delivers sustainability benefits as well as serving as an information hub. Datapath’s VSN V3 video wall controllers and WallControl 10/PRO with VisionSC-HD4+ and VisionSC-UHD2 capture cards were incorporated and support Absen’s innovative LED screens. Designed, built, and tested at Datapath’s headquarters in Derby, the VSN units were configured to meet the exacting requirements of the project, enabling seamless integration with Absen LED displays on site.

The Datapath team supported the full project lifecycle in collaboration with NuVideo and the client team, from initial system design through to on-site commissioning and comprehensive training to ensure best performance of the system. The result is a powerful, reliable video solution optimised for 24/7 operation, ensuring airport staff can easily manage and display critical information across a flexible, high-performance visual platform.

BrightSign digital signage players, powered by BrightSignOS, were also deployed amongst all new installations at the airport. The collaboration between BrightSign and NuVideo has been key to the success of this deployment. Because airports are high-traffic environments, minimising downtime and maximising uptime coupled with consistent high-quality performance of the venue’s digital signage is critical for maintaining efficient operations and delivering enhanced passenger experiences. BrightSign digital signage players are known for performance, reliability, and security, making them the ideal choice to support continuous operation while managing high volumes of dynamic content, including real-time flight updates, wayfinding, and advertising. “Being part of Edinburgh Airport’s modernisation project was a fantastic opportunity for NuVideo to showcase our integrated AV expertise in a high-impact environment” says Michael MacNeil, Sales Manager from NuVideo. “Working alongside all the partners, we were able to deliver a seamless and visually stunning solution that not only met the airport’s operational needs but also elevated the passenger experience. We’re proud to have played a key role in bringing this ambitious vision to life.”

With its stunning visuals and intuitive layout, the newly installed digital infrastructure transforms the airport environment into a dynamic and welcoming space. As passengers make their way through duty free, they’re immersed in a visually rich experience that not only captivates but also clearly communicates essential flight and airport information. These innovative features mark a bold step forward in Edinburgh Airport’s commitment to delivering a smarter, more connected journey for every traveller.

HeterMedia chooses Sennheiser to improve hybrid meetings

Sennheiser has announced that HeterMedia, a leading provider of integrated financial printing, document services, and content management solutions, has chosen TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC 2) microphones and TC Bar M all-in-one conferencing devices to ensure seam-

less, high-quality meeting experiences. As part of its business expansion, HeterMedia relocated to a new office in Wanchai, Hong Kong in 2024. To enhance the audio and video systems in HeterMedia’s workspace, Sennheiser, in partnership with systems integrator Komstadt Systems, implemented new solutions, including two TCC 2s for its 2-in-1 VIP meeting room and 2 TC Bar Ms for its medium-sized meeting spaces. The upgraded systems became fully operational in September 2024.

“Before moving to our new office, we struggled with hybrid meetings that were constantly delayed by tech glitches,” shared Ellis Tsui, Management Executive of HeterMedia. “Remote participants kept missing chunks of conversation due to audio cutouts, and those subpar results were undermining our reputation during client presentations. Everything changed when we installed the TC Bar M. The 4K Ultra HD camera paired with Sennheiser’s stereo speakers now deliver crystal-clear quality – it’s like having everyone in the room. The TC Bar M’s Auto Framing feature is an absolute game-changer. It automatically zooms in on whoever’s speaking, keeping everyone laser-focused and way more engaged.”

The Sennheiser TC Bar Solutions are scalable, all-inone conferencing devices, designed to meet modern meeting demands with a built-in camera, microphones and speakers. Available in two models, TC Bar S with four microphones and two speakers, and TC Bar M with six microphones and four speakers, they ensure suc-

Edinburgh Airport has recently undergone a transformative project

to enhance and modernise passenger journeys.

cessful conferencing experiences across rooms of any size. Sennheiser TC Bars offer a combination of 4K Ultra HD video and Sennheiser Trusted Audio Quality. Designed for seamless scalability, TC Bars support small to large rooms, and even campus-wide installations, thanks to Dante I/O and control integration. The flexibility of the TC Bars is unmatched, allowing users to expand with table mics, Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling microphones, or even a second external USB camera. The integrated DSP, PoE support, and single cable mode reduce setup complexity and eliminate clutter. “Setup is a breeze. We just plug in the USB cable and we’re good to go,” continued Tsui. “No more waiting for IT support to untangle wires. When we do need tweaks, the Sennheiser Control Cockpit software lets us finetune settings in seconds. Honestly, this sleek bar has become our secret weapon for productive meetings –works so smoothly we sometimes forget it’s there.”

Designed for large meeting rooms and lecture or collaboration spaces, the TCC 2 is a real problem-solver for HeterMedia’s 2-in1 VIP meeting room. With a functional square form, TCC 2 integrates seamlessly into the design of modern rooms, simply by replacing a ceiling tile. The microphone allows cable free tables and flexible furniture arrangement, while offering all the TeamConnect Ceiling Solutions benefits like Trusted Sennheiser Audio Quality, efficient setup, brand agnostic integration, simple management and control, a sleek design and a sustainable impact.

Catering primarily to clients in the financial, capital

markets, and corporate sectors, HeterMedia specializes in financial disclosure, marketing collateral design, digital media projects, and translation services. Its partnership with TALESIS further supports clients’ digital branding journeys through customized online marketing strategies.

Digital Projection and Estalella lead conference centre transformation

The Valencia Conference Centre has undergone a major AV upgrade as part of a far-reaching digital modernisation project funded by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme. At the centre of the transformation is a powerful new projection system featuring Digital Projection’s TITAN Laser 33000 4K-UHD laser projectors, specified and supplied by Estalella Audiovisual and integrated by Telefónica Tech. At the heart of the installation, two TITAN 33000 projectors perform a seamless edge blend across a 15-metre screen in the main auditorium of the Norman Foster-designed venue.

A third TITAN 33000 is used in single projection mode in one of the convention centre’s main congress rooms, with the super bright, ultra-high-definition performance offered by the three TITAN projectors representing a significant upgrade on the older projectors they replaced. “From the outset, the client asked us to deliver a high-quality, perfectly blended solution in the auditorium,” comments Carlos Bonet, business development and marketing manager at Estalella Audiovisual. “The TITANs were a clear choice, not only for their performance but also for their ability to deliver precision control without the need for external tools.”

To ensure consistency across the edge-blended image, Estalella carried out colour matching using a Qalif spectrometer, as well as brightness matching between the units. All warping and blending was carried out using Digital Projection’s Projector Controller II software, powered by its next-generation Nexus technology, which also allowed for efficient commissioning and fine-tuning of the system. As part of the handover, the local technical team received dedicated training from Digital Projection to operate and maintain the system with full confidence. Delivering up to 31,000 lumens of brightness at 4K-UHD resolution and a contrast ratio of 18,000:1, the 3-chip TITAN Laser 33000 is the ideal projector for even the most demanding large-venue applications. In addition to featuring in-chassis warp, edge blending and geometry correction, the TITAN 33000’s advanced electronics also offer on-board HDR processing and Constant Brightness Control for uncompromisingly bright, vivid visuals.

The new projection infrastructure plays a key role in the centre’s wider AV ecosystem upgrade, which also includes new camera and production systems and a building-wide NDI-over-IP network. “Technology is not just a means – it’s a tool for transforming the way people

experience a space,” says Juan Agustí Pedro-Viejo, sales consultant, digital spaces, for Telefónica Tech, commenting on the installation. “At the Palacio de Congresos de Valencia, we have installed systems – most impactfully the large-format screen, which represents the cutting edge of projection and video technology –that guarantee the highest quality in audio-visual technology.”

Digital Projection provided on-site support during commissioning, working with Estalella Audiovisual and Telefónica Tech to ensure the project was delivered smoothly and to specification. The final result has been warmly received by the venue’s operators and visitors alike, says Bonet, who adds that the success of the project has opened to the door to future collaborative opportunities between Estalella and Telefónica Tech. “This installation has significantly raised the bar in terms of brightness, clarity and definition,” he concludes.

Christie laser projectors illuminate Shenzhen Museum

Christie has announced that its partners, Jianye Display and Shanghai Qingying Digital Technology, have deployed more than 100 Inspire Series 1DLP laser projectors across multiple exhibition halls at the new Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum. The installations deliver vibrant, high-impact visuals that transform the museum into an interactive journey of scientific discovery with a distinctly futuristic feel. Located in Guangming District, the museum is themed around ‘Digital Civilization,’ with architecture inspired by a giant spacecraft. Its flexible, open spaces house four permanent halls featuring 950 exhibits, over 80% of which are interactive. Since its opening, the museum has drawn more than one million visitors in just three months, establishing itself as a leading hub for science popularisation in Shenzhen and a benchmark for innovation nationwide.

On level three, the “Mysteries of Mind and Body,” “Digital Art,” and “Communications Technology Pavilion” bring science to life through special-shaped projection, immersive displays, and interactive projection

Christie has announced that its partners, Jianye

spire

mapping. In “Mysteries of Mind and Body,” highlights include “Embracing Nature”—an ultra-wide 15,200 x 4,000 mm display powered by Christie DWU960-iS projectors - and the interactive “Big Monster Projection”, featuring a 6,435 x 2,600 mm image using DWU860-iS projectors. These exhibits invite visitors to explore scientific concepts by interacting with natural landscapes or game-like environments.

In the “Digital Art” zone, the “Geometry in Nature” exhibit, driven by DWU860-iS projectors, showcases the beauty of geometric patterns in the natural world. Interactive touchscreens encourage visitors to delve deeper into the relationship between mathematics and nature. In the “Communications Technology Pavilion”, the “Future Communications Theatre” employs multiple 8,500-lumen DWU860-iS projectors to deliver high-resolution, vividly coloured visuals that remain crisp even under ambient light. Eight additional exhibits in this zone use DWU760-iS projectors to highlight advancements in communication technologies. “We are privileged to participate in this landmark project,” said a representative from Jianye Display. “The project team successfully addressed various technical challenges presented by the diverse integration requirements of

Display and Shanghai

Series 1DLP laser projectors across multiple exhibition halls at

the exhibits, achieving a result that met expectations. The Christie projectors delivered exceptional brightness, contrast, and stability, ensuring each exhibit met the high visual standards required for this venue.

On level five, the “Origins of the Universe” hall invites visitors to journey from the “origin of particles” to the vast reaches of space. Designed and integrated by Shanghai Qingying, the space combines advanced projection and digital technologies to immerse audiences in the wonders of both the microscopic and cosmic worlds. Twenty-four Christie DWU860-iS projectors deliver brilliant visuals for exhibits such as “Origin of Particles”, “The Ark of Life”, “Mystery of the Black Holes”, “Web of Space and Time”, and “The Universe.” “This was a challenging yet highly rewarding project,” said a spokesperson from Shanghai Qingying. “Each installation presented unique requirements, but our team’s expertise, combined with the DWU860-iS’s high brightness, contrast, and reliability, ensured an outstanding visual presentation.”

The Christie Inspire Series delivers up to 10,100 lumens, WUXGA resolution, and a remarkable 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Its IP5X-rated sealed optical engine ensures whisper-quiet, reliable performance for

up to 20,000 hours of virtually maintenance-free operation, making it ideal for museums, science centres, and other high-use venues. Integrated Christie Twist software enables advanced warping and blending, while compatibility with Christie Mystique allows for simplified alignment and recalibration of multi-projector setups.

Han Kim, vice president for Sales, Asia-Pacific, Christie, said, “We are honoured to work with Jianye Display and Shanghai Qingying on this significant project. The Inspire Series has become a trusted solution for museums and science venues thanks to its exceptional image quality, reliability, and ease of maintenance. This installation is a testament to how Christie technology can enhance knowledge sharing and create inspiring immersive experiences for the public.”

TED2025 Relies on Clear-Com and NETGEAR

As the world gathered at TED2025 to explore the provocative theme ‘Humanity Reimagined’, Clear-Com , supported by NETGEAR networking infrastructure, delivered flawless communications to keep every element of the globally anticipated event running smoothly. Hosted at the Vancouver Convention Centre, TED2025 drew thousands of the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Behind the scenes, production teams depended on a robust communications backbone designed around Clear-Com’s Eclipse Delta Frame, FreeSpeak wireless systems, and Dante audio distribution, all networked over high-performance NETGEAR switches. Clear-Com’s intercom architecture enabled clear, instant communication across TED’s multiple stages, breakout spaces, and control rooms. Key elements included Eclipse, integrating FreeSpeak II wireless beltpacks for untethered mobility, plus Dante audio interfaces to interoperate with the broader AV ecosystem. Transceivers deployed throughout the venue, ensuring full-duplex wireless coverage for producers, camera operators, audio engineers, and event managers. The flexibility of Eclipse to seamlessly integrate wireless, wired, and IP solutions, combined with FreeSpeak’s renowned audio clarity and range, gave the TED technical team

Shanghai Qingying Digital Technology, have deployed more than 100 Inat the new Shenzhen

complete confidence across every facet of production. From coordinating dynamic stage transitions to managing press and speaker logistics in real time, Clear-Com ensured that crews remained connected, responsive, and fully focused on bringing TED’s powerful stories to life.

NETGEAR AV Line M4250 switches, configured with AES67 audio and trunking profiles, served as the critical backbone, ensuring low-latency, reliable transport for both intercom and high-resolution audio streams. Sarah Koehler, Applications Engineer at Clear-Com, who was on-site for the installation, noted, “The comms engineer was impressed by how quickly I could bring the NETGEAR switches online with pre-built AES67 profiles and auto-trunking features.” The system’s ease of deployment was matched by its reliability, essential for a live event of this scale. With four NETGEAR switches supporting the show’s intercom and audio systems, the TED production team experienced rock-solid performance throughout the week-long conference. “ClearCom’s system was a really helpful tool for us. With so many simultaneous needs and live program shifts, we needed total confidence in our communications. With the power of Eclipse and FreeSpeak combined, we had flawless audio quality and the flexibility to adapt on the fly, exactly what an event of this scale demands,” said TED’s Head of Production, Mina Sabet. Bob Boster, President of Clear-Com, added, “TED is all about exploring the future of human potential, and we’re proud to support that mission by empowering the behind-thescenes teams with communication tools they can trust. Partnering with NETGEAR allowed us to deliver a worldclass, integrated solution that exceeded the technical needs of this extraordinary event.”

Christie HS Series projectors bring the Battle of Red Cliff to life

Christie is pleased to announce that Jianye Display has deployed high-performance HS Series 1DLP laser projectors for a new immersive cultural performance at the Three Kingdoms Ancient Battlefield Scenic Area in Chibi Town, Xianning, Hubei Province. The installation brings fresh vitality to the epic tale of the Battle of Red Cliff, captivating audiences with breathtaking visuals and artistic flair. Christie DWU19-HS laser projectors deliver stunning visuals on the left citadel wall and the sails of a massive onstage warship. Produced by Hubei Dingtu Culture and Tourism, and directed by renowned multi-disciplinary artist Luo Kege, “Red Cliff: Borrowing the East Wind” combines live performance with advanced display technologies to recreate one of the most legendary battles in Chinese history.

Seven Christie DWU19-HS laser projectors deliver stunning visuals on the left citadel wall and the sails of a massive onstage warship, immersing audiences in a vivid reimagining of this pivotal Three Kingdoms conflict. Since its debut in April, the production has drawn large crowds, offering visitors an unforgettable blend of history, artistry, and technology.“The high brightness,

rich color reproduction, and rock-solid reliability of the Christie DWU19-HS projectors enable ‘Red Cliff: Borrowing the East Wind’ to achieve a perfect fusion of light, shadow, and storytelling,” said a spokesperson from Jianye Display. “Iconic scenes and characters from the Battle of Red Cliff are brought to life with extraordinary realism, heightening immersion and offering a fresh cultural tourism experience at this historic site.”

The “Red Cliff: Borrowing the East Wind” cultural performance combines live performance, sets, and projection technology.

Installation of the projection systems was completed in just one month, despite demanding conditions. With some projectors installed high above the performance area, Jianye Display’s technical team implemented strict safety protocols and used advanced 3D simulation to calculate projection angles and positioning, ensuring precise coverage and seamless image blending. To withstand dust, moisture, and unpredictable weather, all DWU19-HS projectors underwent rigorous testing to ensure reliable long-term performance in this outdoor venue.

LEA Professional amplifiers bring good vibes to Gale Hotel Miami

Conveniently located in downtown Miami, Gale Hotel Miami is a 51-story architectural landmark offering an innovative blend of boutique hotel comfort, upscale condo living, and culinary haven, complemented by a wellness centre complete with a spa and gym - all within a stone’s throw of the Magic City’s most exhilarating attractions. Guests can indulge in a variety of dining experiences on the 9th floor, offering breathtaking vistas of Biscayne Bay and the iconic Miami skyline. Or take advantage of the Pool Club, which offers a stunning outdoor pool oasis accompanied by a chic restaurant where guests can enjoy Miami-inspired cuisine.

Four years in the making, Gale Hotel Miami hired Interlink Group to design the audio systems for the two restaurants on the 1st floor and the three restaurants on the 9th floor. Interlink, in turn, partnered with Designer Digital Systems, Inc., to design the sound system, build the racks, and program the system. With space for only one full-sized rack on the 9th floor and one in the mezzanine MDF room, and requirements to power many speakers at high SPL for parties, amplifier size and power were major considerations. LEA Professional amplifiers were a perfect fit for the project. “The project developer wanted great sound, reliability, and a fair price,” said Bruce J. Alaimo, owner of Designer Digital Systems, Inc. “They had a design from a different company

that was much more expensive. I immediately thought of LEA amps for our new design. I planned on using a variety of speakers from major brands, and LEA had speaker tunings for all of them, which made it a lot easier.”

Designer Digital Systems, Inc., deployed 13 Connect Series 704 amplifiers to power the venue’s varied speakers. The IoT-enabled 4-channel 704 provides 700 watts per channel, supports Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z selectable by channel, and features Smart Power Bridge technology. Connect Series also includes 96kHz DSP, which is standard in all models and offers a range of benefits that significantly enhance audio performance and system versatility. Eight CS704 amplifiers power the three restaurants on the 9th floor (22,400 watts at 70V), while five CS704 amplifiers were installed in the mezzanine MDF room for the restaurants on the 1st floor (14,000 watts at 70V). Designer Digital Systems, Inc., chose LEA amplifiers due to their size-to-power ratio (1RU with 2,800 watts per amplifier), as well as the flexibility of full DSP for crossover and speaker tuning of all major brands. The Smart Power Bridge technology was utilized in an innovative manner to overcome a drywall installation error that caused a short, enabling the team to drive two speakers at 1400 watts at 70V. In essence, this feature, performance, and system versatility saved a main zone in the 1st floor restaurant.

The Connect Series delivers an industry-first professional amplifier family featuring cloud connectivity, a revolutionary advancement that provides a significant benefit for anyone maintaining the systems. With LEA Cloud, AV teams can remotely control and monitor amplifiers from anywhere, at any time. With no subscription model or hidden costs, it’s completely free to use. The Gale Hotel in Miami blends contemporary elegance with cutting-edge technology, offering a chic urban retreat. Its sleek design features bespoke European furnishings and a state-of-the-art audio system befitting the property, enhancing the ambiance throughout. “I really enjoy working with LEA amplifiers and the LEA tech support team,” said Alaimo. “I have used LEA amplifiers in many projects and look forward to working with them in many more projects in the future. They’re a great product with fabulous power offerings per rack space, full DSP, and best of all, great people. I highly recommend them.”

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Sennheiser powers AV upgrade at

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Cardiff Metropolitan University has implemented 20 TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC 2) microphones, which feature patented dynamic beamforming technology that automatically follows the active speaker’s voice through 28 omnidirectional microphone capsules arranged in a matrix array. The comprehensive installation includes TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC 2), TeamConnect Ceiling M (TCC M), and SpeechLine Digital Wireless (SL DW) microphones, as well as the Wi-Fi-based bi-directional communication solution MobileConnect, transforming over 50 teaching spaces with superior audio capture technology for hybrid learning environments.

When Cardiff Metropolitan University began its AV refresh project approximately five years ago, the institution faced the challenge of upgrading outdated technology to meet modern educational demands. The pandemic accelerated this need, transforming the project from simple lecture capture upgrades to advanced hybrid learning solutions. “Around six years ago, an internal review highlighted the need to upgrade our current teaching room AV infrastructure,” explains Hollie Carter, AV Support Coordinator at Cardiff Met. “They were all old projectors. We were using microphones on the desk that were plugged in via USB to the PC, little webcams on the monitors, and Panopto to record all our lessons.”

For smaller teaching spaces, Cardiff Met has deployed the newer TeamConnect Ceiling Medium (TCC M) microphones, which offer similar beamforming capabilities as the TCC 2, but in a more compact design featuring 16 microphone elements. After extensive testing of audio solutions from numerous manufacturers, Sennheiser TCC microphones emerged as the clear winner, delivering superior audio quality with minimal visual impact and maximum coverage flexibility. The university has implemented 20 TCC 2s, which feature patented dynamic beamforming technology that automatically follows the active speaker’s voice through 28 omnidirectional microphone capsules arranged in a matrix array. These systems provide 360° coverage with automatic speaker tracking and multiple beam technology that can simultaneously capture multiple voices in the room.

For smaller teaching spaces, Cardiff Met has deployed the newer TCC M microphones, which offer similar beamforming capabilities in a more compact design with 16 microphone elements. Both solutions integrate seamlessly with the university’s existing AV infrastructure, including Extron control systems. The TCC microphones feature multi-coloured LED status indicators that show when microphones are active (green) or muted (red), giving lecturers visual confirmation of recording status while supporting GDPR compliance. They’re also configured to mute automatically when the AV system powers down, adding an extra layer of privacy. “That gives academics confidence as they know they can have confidential conversations when the system is off, and it’s live and streaming to our MobileConnect

system when it’s on,” explains Carter.

The ceiling microphones also offer advanced zone control, which has been especially useful for the university. “In the School of Management, the building uses natural ventilation, and sometimes you get a low-level hum when the air con kicks in,” Carter continues. “With the TCC 2 mics, being able to prioritise and exclude zones has been brilliant. We can filter out that upper-level hum, focus on the lecturer, and still give secondary priority to students - it’s amazing.” The TruVoicelift capability in the TCC 2 and TCC M is another useful feature, providing additional amplification of student voices to ensure that all participants can be heard clearly throughout larger spaces.

The implementation also includes 20 channels of SL DW for lecture theatres, operating on the license-free 1.9 GHz band and featuring lithium-ion battery technology for reliable operation and simplified management. The SL DW provides automatic frequency management, interference-free transmission, and AES 256-bit encryption for secure audio delivery. Another key element of the installation is the deployment of 30 MobileConnect systems, which stream audio directly to users’ smartphones via a dedicated app.

The comprehensive audio upgrade represents a significant investment in Cardiff Met’s commitment to delivering exceptional student experiences. By creating more inclusive and engaging learning environments, the university ensures that all students — whether attending in person or remotely — can fully participate in

their education. The enhanced audio quality and accessibility features not only support diverse learning needs but also prepare students for the increasingly digital and hybrid nature of modern professional environments. Cardiff Met implemented a unique approach to MobileConnect deployment, utilising static pin codes displayed in each room for students to access the audio stream on the app “The university loved MobileConnect as a forward-thinking solution that didn’t rely on older technology,” says Inesh Patel, Business Development Manager at Sennheiser. “Many hearing aid users no longer have telecoil devices, so traditional induction loop systems weren’t a good fit. Moving across to MobileConnect made complete sense.”

Cardiff Met implemented a unique approach to MobileConnect deployment, utilising static pin codes displayed in each room for students to access the audio stream on the app. This simple yet effective method ensures all students can benefit from enhanced audio without drawing attention to those who require assistive listening. The university loved MobileConnect as a forward-thinking solution that didn’t rely on older technology. “We went through a period where rooms were getting revamped at quite a quick rate, so with MobileConnect, being able to move it from one room to another with the mics at the click of a button was amazing,” says Carter. “It is also great for end users as they can enter the room, join the stream, and that’s it, without needing to highlight themselves.”

The university’s small technical team leverages Senn-

heiser’s Control Cockpit software to remotely monitor and manage all audio devices across campus, reducing the need for in-person troubleshooting. “Control Cockpit has been game-changing for us. No one wants to run around campus all day every day trying to fix things,” Carter emphasises. “The fact you can remotely see the status of the mics, you can firmware update them, you can mute and unmute remotely as well is really handy for us.” The new audio technology has significantly enhanced the learning experience, according to Adrian Clark, Senior Learning Developer (Media) at Cardiff Met: “The Sennheiser product that’s had the greatest impact within my role is the ceiling-mounted TCC 2. This mic array has clearly improved audio quality for students, and the broader coverage means staff can move freely - supporting better classroom engagement.”

The Sennheiser product that has had one of the greatest impact is the ceiling-mounted TCC 2, which improves audio quality for students, while also allowing staff to move freely - supporting better classroom engagement

Ed Taylor, Head of Digital Support Services at Cardiff Met, adds: “The TCC microphones have drastically improved audio in meeting and lecture spaces, ensuring a better experience for remote participants. MobileConnect also adds great value from an accessibility standpoint. The products integrate seamlessly within our ecosystem, and remote management is a perfect fit.” The project was facilitated by Strive AV, who played a crucial role during the implementation. Natalie Barnett, Account Manager at Strive AV, notes the ongoing nature of the partnership: “We are doing 22 spaces this summer that have Sennheiser products across them, and it’s become a rolling refresh where there’s always something from Sennheiser on Hollie [Carter]’s kit list.” Dean Phillips, Projects Manager at Strive AV, agrees and adds: “The university has been quick to recognise the evolving demands of hybrid education, especially post-pandemic. We were pleased to support them with the right solutions, like Sennheiser’s TCC systems, which meet the growing need for high-quality, flexible audio in modern learning spaces.”

The university plans to continue its rollout, aiming to equip all teaching spaces with Sennheiser audio technology over the next few years.

“The Cardiff Met project stands as a prime example of future-focused AV design, where the needs of students and staff are placed at the centre of the technology strategy,” concludes Patel. “The university’s approach to accessibility, security, and management of the systems demonstrates why they are one of the leaders in hybrid learning environments. We’re proud to continue our partnership with Cardiff Met as they complete their campus-wide transformation over the coming years.”

L-Acoustics A series brings crystal clear sound to Mallorca’s Bierkönig

Right in the heart of the legendary Schinkenstraße and just a few steps from the sea sits Bierkönig – a true Playa de Palma institution for almost 40 years. Located directly in the popular nightlife district, this unique beer garden and live performance venue spans more than 5,000 square metres and has become the undisputed meeting point for lovers of German music, culture, and atmosphere from morning until late at night. With daily live performances and DJ sets featuring everything from German pop to Schlager music, the venue demands a professional sound system capable of delivering consistent, high-quality audio throughout its sprawling interior space.

A major renovation to Bierkönig’s 1,250-square-metre main hall, ‘Neuer Bereich’, which began in late 2024, included a complete audio system overhaul. This main performance space, hosting up to 2,000 guests nightly, had long suffered from an audio system that couldn’t match the venue’s legendary status. With uneven coverage and an undefined sound profile detracting from artist performances, the time had come for a complete transformation. German integration specialists RheinlandAkustik, working alongside long-time collaborators and L-Acoustics Certified Partner Babbel & Haeger, were brought into design and install a new professional sound system that would deliver significantly improved audio quality, whilst managing sound emission to neighbouring properties.

The renovation presented unique acoustic challenges and constraints that required innovative solutions. Limited ceiling height made traditional central array deployment impossible, while the venue’s complex architecture - featuring a balcony, multiple columns, and varying ceiling heights - demanded surgical precision in speaker placement. Precise positioning of suspension points and coordination with other trades during the six-month renovation also posed challenges during the implementation phase. “This wasn’t a project where you could apply standard approaches,” explains Nico Decker, Event Technology Specialist at RheinlandAkustik. “The client’s vision was crystal clear: even coverage through-

out the entire audience area with maximum indoor sound pressure while protecting neighbouring residents from noise spillage. Achieving that balance required innovative thinking.”

“The architectural constraints at Bierkönig presented complex challenges,” adds Markus Drols, Event Technology Specialist at Babbel & Haeger. “Every column, every ceiling variation, every sightline had to be carefully considered. The decentralised approach wasn’t just a design choice - it was the only way to achieve the coverage uniformity and sound quality this legendary venue deserved”. Beyond architectural constraints, the venue presented unique operational challenges. Guests experience performances from dramatically different listening positions, some standing on the main floor, others elevated on bar stools throughout the space. Meanwhile, Bierkönig’s seaside location subjects equipment to significant climatic fluctuations, demanding robust solutions built for longevity.

RheinlandAkustik’s design team turned to L-Acoustics Soundvision software to navigate the complex acoustic environment. The advanced modelling capabilities proved essential for optimising coverage patterns around obstacles and ensuring consistent sound distribution across varying audience heights and architectural features. “Soundvision was absolutely instrumental,”

notes Tim Goldhahn from RheinlandAkustik. “Combined with the L-Acoustics Cable Length Acceptance tool, it allowed us to map out every coverage challenge and optimise system placement for seamless integration. Without that level of precision planning, this project wouldn’t have achieved its objectives.” The solution centred on L-Acoustics A series loudspeakers, specifically chosen for their Panflex technology enabling precise directivity control. This flexibility allowed the team to craft a decentralised speaker configuration that overcame ceiling height restrictions while maintaining optimal performance throughout the venue.

“Managing a project of this complexity requires seamless coordination between all stakeholders,” explains Tobias Hemmersbach, Project Manager at Babbel & Haeger. “From the initial site surveys through final commissioning, every detail had to be meticulously planned. The six-month renovation timeline demanded precision execution, and the L-Acoustics ecosystem provided the reliability and flexibility we needed to deliver on schedule while maintaining the highest quality standards.”

The final installation showcases the versatility of networked professional audio systems. Four strategic main PA lines provide comprehensive coverage: Lines 1 and 2 feature L/R hangs of two A15i Wide with central hangs of two A10i Wide; Line 3 deploys L/R hangs combining

one A15i Focus and one A15i Wide unit, complemented by A10i Wide central and outside right hangs; Line 4 mirrors the configuration of Lines 1 and 2 with L/R hangs of two A15i Wide plus central hangs of two A10i Wide, ensuring consistent coverage patterns.

Monitoring is handled through four rear-ceiling-flown X8i units for front-of-house, four floor-mounted X12 units serving the main stage, and two X8 units for the main DJ booth while three X8i units provide front-ofhouse-fill. Low-frequency reinforcement comes from six KS21i subwoofers - with two configured in cardioid mode for directional control - plus centrally flown delay subs comprising four KS21i in cardioid configuration. The outdoor terrace receives coverage via six X8i loudspeakers, while VIP areas are served by dedicated L/R X8 hangs.

The system is powered and controlled by LA7.16i amplified controllers, with an LC16D format converter handling signal distribution from the venue’s matrix mixer, converting MADI to Milan-AVB for seamless network integration. Signal distribution utilises Milan-AVB networking, chosen for its reliability and straightforward implementation across the L-Acoustics ecosystem. The system calibration was conducted by L-Acoustics, providing expert support to ensure optimal performance. The impact extends far beyond technical specifications. Since reopening, the enhanced audio system has transformed the venue’s operational capabilities. The technical team, already familiar with L-Acoustics systems through years of experience, adapted quickly to the new installation. RheinlandAkustik implemented a customised matrix control system with an intuitive app interface, simplifying daily operations for venue staff managing multiple audio sources across different areas.

“The difference has been remarkable,” reflects a Bierkönig representative. “Artists consistently praise the system’s even coverage and neutral, well-defined sound profile. More significantly, we can now accommodate a much wider variety of performers, making our programming more attractive while eliminating the need for visiting acts to rent additional PA equipment. This has streamlined production workflows and reduced costs considerably.”

The network-based signal distribution via Milan-AVB provides excellent scalability for future expansion. Goldhahn adds “Should additional renovations or zone expansions be planned, the system architecture facilitates straightforward integration of new areas, positioning Bierkönig for continued evolution while maintaining its cultural significance”

“The A Series flexibility, particularly the adjustable directivity enabled by Panflex technology, proved absolutely essential,” concludes Decker. “We achieved precisely what the client envisioned—even sound distribution that enhances every performance while respecting the surrounding community. The collaboration with Babbel & Haeger and L-Acoustics, combined with thorough Soundvision planning, were critical success factors.”

d&b sets a new sound standard for Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena

Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena, one of the Middle East’s most high-profile multi-purpose entertainment venues, has just completed a major sound system upgrade using the latest loudspeaker system technologies from d&b audiotechnik. Including the extraordinary full-bandwidth directivity of the GSL, KSL, XSL and SL-SUB products from the SL-Series, plus the very latest Compact Cardioid Line Array (CCL), the finished system delivers clean and consistent sound across the entire 17,000-capacity venue. “At Coca-Cola Arena, we aim for five-star quality in every detail of the audience and artist experience. Choosing d&b audiotechnik was about more than technology – it was about partnering with a brand that our team and our technical experts truly trust. This installation represents the pinnacle of audio performance, ensuring that every seat in the house receives the same exceptional standard,” said Mark Jan Kar, General Manager of the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai and SVP of Entertainment, Content, and Programming for Legends Global (MENA).

The d&b team was led by Brad Maiden, General Manager of the Middle East office in Dubai and included Steve Jones, Head of Education & Application Support (EMEA). They worked closely with the Arena’s sound crew and representatives from Coca-Cola Arena and Legends Global to refine the system design, then brought in one of the world’s most respected live sound engineers, Marc Carolan (Muse), to fine-tune the installation. Carolan commented: ”I’m very familiar with GSL and KSL systems in arenas, but being part of a permanent installation and having the time to really listen and refine things – without my production manager shouting at me – has been great. Steve and the whole team have done a fantastic job. The system is world-class.” Jones added: “In an arena, controlling sound is notoriously difficult. That’s why the SL-Series is so valuable: its signature cardioid behaviour ensures that as you move to the sides or behind the arrays, levels drop off consistently across all frequencies.”

Of the new CCL, he adds, “Despite its compact size, it still delivers cardioid control down to the lowest fre-

quencies, which is remarkable. It slots in perfectly with the larger SL-Series cabinets, meaning we can provide effective cardioid solutions for any space, maintaining intelligibility and clarity from front to back.” The new solution, aimed at giving the venue’s audiences the best possible sound experience while being rider-friendly, is designed with multiple levels of coverage that can be activated or deactivated as needed by the multi-purpose venue, enabling flexible control for any type of event, without compromising sound quality. The main system was finessed using d&b’s ArrayProcessing software. On the control side, a complete Milan network is implemented. “Consistent coverage is critical. I’ve been a long-time d&b user, and I know I can rely on their systems to deliver coverage as promised. Tonality is equally important. What I love about GSL in particular is that it isn’t just a technical tool – it feels like a musical instrument. It has a very natural, musical quality that allows the art to really shine,” said Carolan.

Mark Jan Kar added: “Having d&b’s modular audio systems allows us to seamlessly transform the Arena from concerts to sporting events to corporate shows, at speed and without compromise. That flexibility is critical given the volume and diversity of our business. This upgrade ensures we can compete with the world’s top venues –not only in terms of sound quality for artists and audiences, but also in the efficiency with which we deliver

Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena, one of the Middle East’s most high-profile sound system upgrade using the latest loudspeaker system technologies

just completed a

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events. Our ambition is to be the region’s must-play venue, and investing in the best possible infrastructure, including audio, gives us that edge.”

“At d&b we work with the world’s top tours, venues, and artists,” says Maiden, “and it’s been a pleasure collaborating with Coca-Cola Arena and Legends Global to help create this benchmark for entertainment in the Middle East. The installation of our flagship SL-Series further elevates Coca-Cola Arena on the global stage, as a venue known for technical excellence and world-class quality, something we’re thrilled to be part of.”

Sound On Stage Events chooses DiGiCo for historic concert

Established in 1992 and headquartered in Dubai, Sound On Stage Events is led by Managing Director and sound engineer Rawad Saad. The company has built a reputation for delivering high-quality services across the UAE and the wider GCC, serving an impressive and diverse client base. A loyal DiGiCo user for over 15 years, Saad shares why Echoes of a Golden Era - part of the Beiteddine Art Festival in July 2025, was a natural choice for Sound On Stage’s newest purchase of a DiGiCo Quantum 326. “Throughout the time that Sound On

Stage Events has been using DiGiCo consoles, we’ve experienced the remarkable evolution in both the technology and audio quality,” he says. “DiGiCo continues to set new standards in the industry, and we proudly rely on its systems for our most demanding productions.”

Delivering the purchase was 7Hertz, DiGiCo distributor for the Middle East and Gulf Regions. Having enjoyed a close relationship for many years, Sound On Stage Events and 7Hertz were able to work together to ensure that Saad was confident the console would be a good fit for his company. As Chadi El Masri, CEO and Founder of 7Hertz continues, it was this relationship that ultimately ensured the team got exactly what they needed for their clients. “Rawad and his team are highly experienced with DiGiCo and a valued client of 7Hertz, which allowed for focused discussions and trust in reaching the best possible outcome. The end result is that they found the Q326 to be exactly what they were looking for,” El Masri explains. “At 7Hertz, we pride ourselves on providing considered support, guidance, and advice that meets customer requirements while also accounting for futureproofing. It’s important to us that all aspects and options are explored and discussed, with pre and post-sales support always close at hand.”

Echoes of a Golden Era was an original production that premiered at the festival, featuring three renowned Arabic performers: Jahida Wehbe, Lubana Al Quntar, and Reham Abdel Hakim. The orchestra comprised 25 musicians, with additional guest artists, all of very high calibre. Working with such artists, and in a Royal Palace, needed the reliability of a DiGiCo console, giving Saad confidence in a positive outcome. “To manage the intricate blend of orchestration, vocals, and live instruments, a concert such as Echoes of a Golden Era requires outstanding clarity, dynamic range, and versatility,” Saad continues. “DiGiCo consoles offer the accuracy and processing capacity needed to handle complex input lists and produce high-quality sound across a broad frequency range. We are able to stay consistent throughout the performance, while instantly adjusting to the musical changes, due to their smooth interaction with outboard equipment, Snapshot automation, and onboard effects. Maintaining the aural

high-profile multi-purpose entertainment venues, has

major technologies from d&b audiotechnik. (Photo Credits: Coca-Cola

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depth a performance of this calibre demands requires this degree of control.”

The Beiteddine Art Festival takes place in the 200-yearold Palace of the same name, located in the Chouf Mountains, around 45 km from Beirut. An annual celebration of art and culture, it hosts multiple performances and exhibitions throughout July. There are two stages, Al Midan, a 5,000 seated capacity courtyard, and the middle courtyard, where this concert was staged, with a 1,500-seat capacity. The stage is centred around an impressive fountain and, with the Palace as a backdrop, it is a truly fitting venue for a show of this style. “Working with dynamic vocalists and orchestras is a great fit for DiGiCo consoles,” Saad continues. “From the delicate expression of a solo vocalist to the full impact of a live orchestra, the high-resolution preamps and powerful processing engine of the Quantum 326 enables precise control over every aspect of a performance. Managing complex setups and reacting quickly to live changes is made simple by the dynamic EQ, multiband compression, and sophisticated Snapshot automation. This is crucial for shows like ours, when emotional delivery and musical accuracy go hand-inhand.”

Saad upgraded to the DiGiCo Quantum 326 to take advantage of its compact footprint. The console packs a powerful punch, with 128 input channels, 64 Aux and a 24 by 24 full processing matrix packed into the 1.5m frame. The v20 upgrades have also proved very useful, with Saad appreciating the new integration and workflow features. “Control Groups Spill and other increased control and workflow advancements have made daily operations more efficient and user-friendly,” he says. “One notable feature is the recently added Mix Minus tool, which has proven to be quite helpful in handling intricate routing in broadcasts with several IEMs. All things considered, the v20 upgrade has increased power and versatility without making the process more difficult, which is something we much appreciate in highstakes, fast-paced projects.”

Excellence in technology is only half the reason that Saad keeps his inventory full of DiGiCo. The relationship with the DiGiCo team and its UAE distributor, 7Hertz, is an instrumental part of his continuing faith in DiGiCo consoles. “We have contacted the DiGiCo and 7Hertz teams a few times, and each time we have received an exceptional response,” he concludes. “Their personnel have been helpful, informed, and sincere in their efforts to assist us in finding answers, whether it’s for software upgrades, system integration, or urgent troubleshooting prior to a big event. Knowing that we have that degree of support behind us is comforting, particularly when working on well-known productions where timeliness and dependability are crucial.”

Visual engagement for automotive

“By strategically placing the large-format LED display at the entrance, it becomes a focal point upon entry to shape the first impression. Alongside BYD’s branding guideline, we wanted something more eye-catching that wouldn’t compromise valuable floor space - made possible by ViewSonic’s All-in-One design,” said Loic Serret, Manager at Leal Energie Ltd. To meet Leal’s showroom requirements, ViewSonic deployed its LDC Series, which combines flexible sizing, easy installation, and integrated features.

The ultra-slim 31mm profile enables a clean wall-mounted installation with minimal protrusion, preserving showroom openness while elevating brand ambiance. The display’s 600 NITS brightness output ensures vivid visuals even under ambient lighting conditions, and integrated 60W speakers support immersive promotional videos and vehicle showcases. Staff can easily manage content with a remote controlfrom launch videos to informative backdrops - to effectively communicate BYD’s brand values at the first point of contact.

Beyond visual appeal, ease of installation is critical in retail environments. “This installation demonstrates how ease of setup, operation, and maintenance can encourage businesses to embrace advanced display technologies. The process was faster, simpler, and required very few resources,” noted Vidya Dabydoyal, Senior Sales Executive at Leal Communications and Informatics Ltd.

automotive retail

Unlike traditional LED walls requiring bulky back structures, ViewSonic’s All-in-One design eliminates the need for complex framing, reducing the overall installation thickness to just 5.3cm, compared to the 20–40cm typically required. This streamlined design not only preserves valuable interior space but also cuts installation time by more than half, completing setup in just four hours. Additionally, the display features GOB (Glue-onBoard) surface treatment for enhanced durability against dust, moisture, and physical contact, making it ideal for high-traffic showrooms.

ViewSonic’s solution not only transforms the showroom’s atmosphere but also supports its future-focused identity. “We share the same commitment to innovation with Leal and BYD. ViewSonic’s All-in-One LED lineup, from customizable LDC to foldable LDS and pre-configured LDP and LDM Series, is designed to meet diverse business needs by making large-scale displays more accessible, easier to implement, and setting a new benchmark for the industry,” said Dean Tsai, General Manager of Projector and LED Display Business Unit at ViewSonic.

This collaboration demonstrates how in-store displays can be a strategic asset, shaping a traditional showroom into an immersive brand experience. The adaptable technology allows for engaging showcases of BYD’s vehicles while easily supporting future campaigns, turning the display into a long-term investment that builds customer loyalty.

Uber London office media wall

Founded in 2009, Uber has transformed the way the world moves through its pioneering ride-hailing platform, and has since expanded into food delivery, freight, and mobility services on a global scale. Operating in over 70 countries, Uber is widely regarded as one of the most disruptive and innovative technology companies of the last decade, reshaping urban transport and connectivity. Uber’s London office is one of the company’s flagship European locations, designed to reflect its culture of innovation, collaboration, and forward-thinking. As part of its ongoing workplace strategy, Uber sought to implement new digital solutions that would act as both functional collaboration tools and architectural statements, enhancing the overall employee and visitor experience. With a strong focus on digital-first experiences, Uber’s workplaces are designed to embody the same values of speed, innovation, and connectivity that define its platform.

Uber required a solution that could deliver large-scale digital displays to support communication and collaboration across their London HQ and presentations. Seamless integration was another key driver for the project, with solutions required to blend into the existing workplace environment from both an aesthetic and acoustic perspective. The installation needed to be carried out with minimal disruption to daily operations, ensuring the office could continue to function without interruption. Above all, the solution had to provide a turnkey, future-ready platform fully aligned with Uber’s rigorous global technology standards

To meet these requirements, Urben designed and deployed two of its signature Media Walls, featuring LG LED displays, which deliver both scale and impact through a fully integrated, turnkey solution. The installation included a 136” Media Wall, creating a striking focal point for everyday communication, and a dual 136” Media Wall (272”), offering an immersive, cinematic digital experience for larger gatherings and internal digital signage. To ensure the displays complemented the workplace environment, acoustic panels were thoughtfully integrated, enhancing both the visual design and sound performance of the space.

Leveraging Urben’s precision-engineered approach, the entire project was completed within just four days, enabling Uber to realise immediate value with minimal disruption to its operations. The installation of Urben’s Media Walls has had an immediate and positive impact on Uber’s London workplace. The displays now serve as digital centrepieces, providing a powerful platform for communication, collaboration, and engagement. They have elevated the office’s functionality, supporting everything from team presentations to large-scale events, while also enhancing the overall aesthetic through the integration of acoustic design elements. By combining scale, reliability, and refined design, the Media Walls deliver a future-proof solution that aligns seamlessly with Uber’s global workplace standards and reflects the company’s dynamic, innovative culture.

For Uber, Urben’s Media Walls have delivered a high-impact, turnkey solution that goes beyond AV technology. By combining scale, design integration, and rapid deployment, Urben enabled Uber to elevate its workplace with digital infrastructure that reflects the brand’s dynamic culture while providing lasting value to employees and visitors alike. Urben Media Walls are engineered to deliver not just eye-catching visuals but also robust, flexible structures that adapt to various project settings. They incorporate modular internal frames that make adapting to customer-specific requests straightforward. Urben Media Walls are designed for scalability, design flexibility, and strong visual impact. The Urben walls are designed with modular internal frames that are easy to adapt to specific customer requests. These modular walls are paired with industry-standard components and rigorous quality control, which together ensure durability, precise alignment, easier servicing, and lower overall project risk. Designers and clients benefit from faster turnaround, more predictability in installation, and greater adaptability for different locations and content types.

LED wall elevates theatre stage tech for Stranger Things

A custom INFiLED LED wall, based on the company’s lightweight AR Series for rental-staging applications, is delivering artistic, high contrast visuals for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage prequel to Netflix TV phenomenon Stranger Things. Delivered in partner-

ship with Blue i Theatre Technology and creative studio 59 Productions, the AR-Series wall integrates seamlessly with the production’s physical scenery, heightening its other worldly, myth driven storytelling, and has been specified for both the London West End production and the Broadway run.

Blue i Theatre Technology, led by Ed Cooper, collaborated with 59 Productions to realise a visual language that feels cinematic yet unmistakably theatrical, with imagery that would vanish into the stage picture rather than reading as a conventional “screen”, as Cooper explains:“ The use of LED screens in theatre is no longer just about adding digital effects. It’s about enhancing the storytelling, amplifying the emotional connection between the audience and the performance. ”With this in mind, Blue-i Theatre Technology required a display solution that could accommodate Stranger Things: The First Shadow’s immersive visual illusions, including the use of sudden lighting shifts and shadowy, otherworldly effects to amplify the suspense and mystery of the narrative. The company selected INFiLED’s AR Series, paired with Brompton processing, as the ideal choice to deliver the demanding brief. Offering high contrast, finely graduated colour and reliable performance, even in tight theatrical confines, the AR Series–recently upgraded to the ARmk2–is also providing West End audiences with the all-important ‘painterly’ aesthetics, blending effortlessly into the stage set, key to the production’s one-of-a-kind visual identity. “The 10 bit colour depth of the AR-Series LED is really essential here. It makes transitions much smoother and is critical for seamless visual effects in a live theatre setting,” says

Cooper, whose team are responsible for the dynamic transitions between the show’ssettingin1959Hawkins, Indiana, and the supernatural, eerie atmosphere that underpins this mundane reality.

In addition to delivering the deep blacks, minimal glow and smooth tonal control the show’s illusions require, the AR Series’ lightweight and robust construction makes integration easy, supporting fast maintenance and quiet operation during performance cues. “We’ve always been an INFiLED house, and for good reason,” comments Cooper, elaborating on his choice of the AR Series for Blue-i Theatre Technology’s latest project.

Leyard transforms NFCtron’s Prague headquarters

Leyard Europe has installed a state-of-the-art LED video wall at NFCtron’s new headquarters, transforming the company’s lobby into a versatile hub for corporate communications and client engagement. The installation showcases the latest in LED display technology while supporting NFCtron’s mission as a leader in cashless payment solutions for events and festivals. NFCtron’s solutions enable event organisers to plan events and sell tickets while providing visitors with quick, comfortable purchasing experiences through advanced cashless technology.

The company recently relocated to the prestigious LIFE building at Brumlovka in Prague, establishing a 2,000-square-metre modern workspace that serves as a hub of creativity and collaboration alongside other in-

novative companies including Form Factory and 23 Group. The move, completed in June, represented an opportunity for the payment technology specialist to create a physical environment that reflects its cutting-edge approach to digital solutions. The centrepiece of the installation, a collaboration with Prague-based technology solutions suppliers, AV Media, is an impressive 3.6 x 2 metre LED video wall constructed from 36 individual Leyard VDS cabinets. With a precise 1.8mm pixel pitch, the video wall delivers full HD resolution capable of displaying multiple input sources simultaneously, making it ideal for everything from corporate presentations to guest welcome messages.

Leyard’s VDS Series incorporates the latest LED display technology, using advanced chip-on-board (COB) technology that merges the benefits of MicroLED fourin-one diodes with flip-chip mounting. This approach ensures exceptional image clarity while providing enhanced durability. Each VDS cabinet features a 27-inch diagonal screen in 16:9 format, engineered for robust performance in demanding commercial settings. The protective COB layer offers superior resistance to minor impacts, making the system particularly well-suited for NFCtron’s busy lobby environment where staff, clients, and partners regularly gather. The video wall’s versatility extends beyond simple display functionality. The system serves as a multifunctional platform supporting corporate meetings, product demonstrations, and dynamic guest welcomes. This flexibility aligns with NFCtron’s comprehensive approach to event management and payment solutions, where adaptability and user experience are vital.

Leyard’s facilities in Slovakia provide significant logistical benefits for Czech clients, including reduced delivery times, lower transportation costs, and responsive local service support. This geographic advantage enables faster project implementation and ongoing technical assistance. “We are glad to have been part of this significant project and, through Leyard Europe, to have facilitated the delivery of the LED video wall,” says Michael Csiszár, AV Technology Consultant at AV Media.

“Thanks to the flexible workspace where the LED video wall has been installed, NFCtron can host a wide range of events – from corporate meetings to visually striking presentations that allow them to share their stories and values with employees, visitors, and business partners. Our goal was to create an environment that not only works technically but also inspires and fosters communication.”

The collaboration between Leyard Europe and AV Media also demonstrates the power of regional expertise, with AV Media’s technical proficiency and deep understanding of the local market ensuring seamless integration of the LED technology into NFCtron’s lobby. Jana Janosova, Territory Head Central Europe at Leyard Europe, emphasises the strategic significance of the partnership. “Our collaboration with AV Media highlights our commitment to the local market,” she notes. “It demonstrates our dedication to developing exceptional products and providing local support. This project showcases the technological excellence of our LED video walls and our ability to cater to the unique needs of modern businesses.”

“The installation of the Leyard LED wall has helped us transition smoothly into our new, modern location, creating an inviting lobby that perfectly aligns with NFCtron’s ethos of innovation and customer engagement,” concludes NFCtron Founder, Václav Jaroš. “It’s not just about aesthetics. It’s about creating a dynamic and versatile environment that facilitates communication and enhances the experience for everyone on site.”

Innovation in Jamaica: Peerless-AV digital signage at Juici Patties

Juici Patties, Drax Hall, in the parish of St. Ann, Jamaica, is the first location in the franchise to integrate drive-thru outdoor digital signage to improve ordering efficiency, create consistent messaging and drive brand loyalty through increased customer satisfaction. The rapidly developing Drax Hall region has recently undergone significant infrastructure upgrades to modernise amenities, including a shopping plaza, food courts and service station. The branch, situated at the Drax Hall Boot Service Station, spans approximately 2,000 square feet and employs 30 staff members. It is owned by Golden Grain Baking Company Limited, the newest franchisee adding to the already 65 locations (60 in Jamaica and five in Florida).

The franchise owners contacted Main Event Entertainment Group Ltd, a full-service production company, in August 2024. As a regular, trusted supplier of indoor digital signage solutions for three other Juici Patties

franchises in the parishes of St. Ann (Discovery Bay) and St. James (Ironshore & Harbour City Shopping Mall, Montego Bay) through its Digital Signage division, Main Event was the first-choice partner for digital signage at Drax Hall, St. Ann branch. The owners wanted dynamic indoor menu boards as well as an outdoor digital menu board for the drive-thru – a first for the Juici Patties chain. Its location is ideal, benefiting from a high level of passing traffic that helps to attract and engage customers, offering them an alternative drive-thru experience focused on service efficiency.

The franchise owners wanted a 3-display menu board but requested that the design be adapted to accommodate one central digital screen flanked by two static panels with the intention to upgrade the static panels to digital panels in the future. Designed to have uniform brand consistency across all 3 screens, the static panels would show poster menu content and pricing. With the same dimensions as the LG display, the posters are made from aluminium sheets, that are riveted into the mount, with vinyl prints on top. A canopy that shades the solution is fitted with lighting for better visibility during the afternoon-night hours. Main Event aligned with the specified budget and contacted Peerless-AV as a Platinum Dealer of the brand’s mounts, and trolley/ stand solutions for over 10 years. This was Main Event’s first drive-thru install, and they knew Peerless-AV had expertise in this area with its range of indoor/outdoor displays, kiosks, and digital menu boards.

The product selected was an Outdoor Digital Menu

Board that supports a 55” LGE 55XE4F-M Outdoor Display (KOF555-3-LGE-EUK). Additional extras purchased included Speaker/Microphone Kit (KOF-OPTSPK), Media Player Storage Fan (KOF-OPT-FAN), Internal Media Player Shelf (KOF-OPT-SHELF), Power Distribution Unit (KOF-OPT-ELECTRICAL). Specific panel mounting hardware was also required to mount the LG 55XE4F display to the KOF555 menu board (KOF555-1/2/3-KOF-OPT-LG). The mount features a design that allows air to flow around the display panel to prevent overheating.

The KOF555 menu board was chosen for its modular design, allowing displays to be installed from the front, without disturbing the adjacent units. This design is useful should the franchise prefer to swap out the two other static screens for digital ones in the future. The Peerless-AV outdoor menu board also offers an elegant, sleek, and stylish design, and is IP54 tested to ensure a weatherproof, vandal-resistant, ruggedized solution for reliable 24/7 use. For the indoor digital menu boards, Main Event chose 4 x Peerless-AV SmartMount Digital Menu Board Mounts with Height and Depth Adjustment (DS-MBZ647L) for LG 49” UH7 Series Displays. An authorized reseller of SCALA, Main Event used the brand’s 4K output media players and UHD player software for enterprise performance content management and hosting. The overall timeline for the new branch’s completion was six months, but the procurement and installation of the digital signage were much shorter.

The solution was confirmed and approved in October 2024, with all equipment and software delivered by December. Installation was scheduled once the restaurant build was complete. In May 2025, Main Event engineers carried out the digital signage integration in two phases, over a two-week period. Both the indoor and outdoor digital menu boards were installed within hours. The speed and ease of the process was the result of thorough planning in the months prior, including initial site visits and early agreement on product requirements for quoting and ordering.

Regular meetings were held with all parties to discuss the entire restaurant infrastructure, including digital signage solutions. Parties included Main Event’s digital signage engineer Kedane McLean, the Drax Hall, St. Ann, franchise owners, Glen O’Conner, & Shermaine O’Conner, the contractors who built the restaurant, Richard Vaz and Hushane Williams, and representatives from the companies responsible for the electrical infrastructure and the POS system. “Peerless-AV has always been our go-to supplier for mounts - reliable, efficient, and easy to work with. Once the order was placed, shipment was quick and efficient. The products are of the highest quality and are easy to use and service. The sell sheets provide all the technical information and drawings we need to share with the relevant parties. And this means that our installations using Peerless-AV products have always been straightforward, without any challenges. As a supplier of LG displays, it’s great that their outdoor digital menu boards are available in models to support this brand. We were able to mount the display safely and securely to the unit using the specific brackets and security fasteners provided to prevent any unauthorized access,” said Kedane McLean, Digital Signage Engineer, Main Event.

A team of Main Event engineers managed the installation of the indoor and outdoor digital signage. Conduits were run to protect data and power cabling to each menu board’s pedestal base, which were then bolted to concrete blocks underneath. The power supply was pre-installed with all cabling connected to the UPS grid in the back room of the restaurant. The retrofitting and wiring of the speakers and microphone kit for the outdoor menu board’s drive-thru intercom system took place once the installation of the solution was completed.

The new indoor and outdoor digital signage at Juici Patties, Drax Hall, St. Ann, is helping customers make faster menu selections and is streamlining operations. Main Event’s Digital Signage Department coordinates all updates to the digital menu board content in real time. Using SCALA’s enterprise-grade content management platform, they can make instant adjustments to pricing, product availability, and promotional campaigns across both indoor and outdoor displays. This ensures consistency, accuracy, and agility - allowing the franchise to respond quickly to seasonal changes, limited-time offers, or operational shifts. Updates can be scheduled in advance or deployed immediately, reducing manual workload for staff and maintaining an efficient customer experience at all times.

d&b group announces leadership transition

d&b group is reorganizing its leadership: Effective January 1, 2026, Amnon Harman will step down as Chief Executive Officer after more than 11 years, handing over the role to Jaakko Kaivonen, the current Chief Revenue Officer. This carefully prepared transition ensures continuity while setting the course for d&b’s next phase of growth. Since 2014, Amnon Harman has been instrumental in shaping d&b’s development. Under his leadership, both revenue and headcount have more than quadrupled, outpacing the market. The company has expanded internationally and strengthened its position as a leading provider of professional audio technologies and solutions.

“It has been a great pleasure, honour, and also a responsibility to help shape d&b over the past 11 years into the leading audio technology company we are today. Together with many brilliant minds inside and outside of d&b, we have advanced the company strategically, culturally, and financially. The foundation for further growth has been laid, and for me the time has come to pass responsibility for the next growth phase into safe hands. I am convinced that with his experience, international perspective, and deep understanding of our customers and culture, Jaakko is the right CEO to lead d&b into a strong future,” says Amnon Harman, current CEO of the d&b group.

Amnon Harman is thus handing over the responsibility of leading the company to Jaakko Kaivonen, while remaining closely connected to d&b as shareholder. After ensuring the transition until end of the year, he will join the d&b supervisory board in January and will continue to support the management team and the investors in this capacity. Jaakko Kaivonen joined the d&b group in early 2025 and, as Chief Revenue Officer, has been responsible for global sales and customer activities. During this time, he has strengthened d&b’s international market presence and deepened collaboration with customers and partners. Previously, he gained extensive international management experience in leading global sales and business organisations. With his international outlook, proven ability to lead dynamic growth, and

Effective January 1, 2026, Amnon Harman will step down as Chief Executive Officer after more than 11 years, handing over the role to Jaakko Kaivonen, the current Chief Revenue Officer. (Photo credits: d&b group; Photograph: Tom Maurer).

clear focus on sustainable development, Kaivonen brings all the qualities needed to guide d&b into its next phase together with the management team and provide important momentum for the company’s future. “I would like to thank Amnon for his trust and close collaboration during my time at d&b so far,” says Jaakko Kaivonen. “d&b has a unique culture, outstanding people, and a strong product portfolio. I look forward to working with our customers, the management team and all colleagues to shape the next phase of our development – with a focus on innovation, market proximity, and sustainable growth.”

Hendrik furthers PPDS’ growth ambitions in digital signage

PPDS has announced the appointment of digital signage sales specialist, Hendrik Hack. Accepting the role of Sales Manager Digital Signage for north and northeast Germany, Hendrik joins PPDS with a career spanning almost 10 years, specialising exclusively in digital signage and interactive display sales and project management. Based in Hamburg, Hendrik brings invaluable knowledge and experience to PPDS’ ever strengthening DACH sales team, providing a holistic perspective

of the AV channel, having previously held roles in manufacturing, distribution, sales, projects, and aftercare. Reporting to Konstantin Flabouriaris, Sales Director for DACH, Hendrik will play a key role in PPDS achieving its growth ambitions for Philips digital signage, as well as value added solutions such as Philips Wave, in Germany.

Hendrik’s responsibilities will include working with and supporting PPDS’ partners and customers, as well as with PPDS’ global teams for multinational projects, helping to increase business opportunities, secure tenders, and ensure seamless project completions across all market verticals, including retail, corporate, education, hospitality, healthcare, transportation, public venues, and more. Discussing his new role, Hendrik commented: “I have known and worked with the Philips Professional Displays brand for a long time, and it was a pleasure selling these products in my previous roles. I have always been impressed by how forward thinking and innovative the team at PPDS is – it is a team filled with great people who are focused on constantly improving. This focus on excellence really made moving to PPDS the obvious choice for me.”

Konstantin, who is celebrating 10 years working at PPDS, added. “Hendrik is an invaluable addition to the DACH team here at PPDS and he brings a wealth of experience. His ability to see challenges from multiple angles will help him bring a solution oriented and customer focused methodology to his work, and we are very happy to welcome him to the team and to work together with him.”

Absen appoints new EU Pro-AV Sales Director

Absen has announced the appointment of Martine Dodwell-Bennett as its new Sales Director in Europe. Working as part of Absen’s ProAV division, Martine will focus on driving revenue growth, expanding market presence and ensuring operational excellence in the delivery of major projects. With over 25 years of experience, Martine is a proven sales and management professional. As the former Managing Director at 3Squared, she led the company in delivering cloud-based software solutions to infrastructure and train operators, readying it for a successful merger with other transport-sector software providers to create Velociti Solutions.

At Lutron Electronics, she played a pivotal role in driving growth and market expansion across Europe and Africa. As Director of Sales Channel Operations, Martine implemented two channel partner programmes, built high-performing teams, and drove sales and service excellence initiatives that delivered sustained growth across hospitality and corporate markets. She also led the development of Lutron’s first Experience Centre outside of North America, a strategic investment to showcase the company’s portfolio and accelerate customer adoption, while scaling the training of thousands of industry professionals and members of the specification community across Europe.

“It’s an exciting time to come onboard with Absen, and I’m looking forward to working closely with our teams across Europe and with colleagues in China to drive the next phase of growth” says Martine. “Absen is investing

Absen has announced the appointment of Martine Dodwell-Bennett as its new Sales Director in Europe.

heavily in the region, building out localised sales teams and support to better serve our partners and customers. It’s a great opportunity to build something amazing.”

“We are delighted to welcome Martine to our Absen team. Her extensive leadership experience and proven track record in driving growth across complex markets make her the ideal choice to lead our European sales strategy” says Ruben Rengel, Vice President of Global Business Development. “With that, her appointment marks a significant step in our commitment to strengthening our presence in the region, and I’m confident she will play a pivotal role in delivering excellence for our partners and customers.”

Mark Lightfoot appointed Solotech Managing Director, UK

Solotech has announced the appointment of Mark as Managing Director, United Kingdom. Mark is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience and a proven track record in strategic leadership. Most recently, he served as CFO as well as interim CEO at Chess, a leading independent technology service provider in the UK. “I’m very pleased to welcome Mark to our executive team. His expertise in strategic planning, stakeholder relationships, and financial control will be invaluable assets to Solotech as we continue to strengthen our market position and drive our vision,” mentions Martin Tremblay, President and CEO, Solotech. Mark will play a central role in shaping and executing the UK business strategy, while overseeing day-to-day operations. His leadership will be instrumental in achieving both short and long-term objectives, solidifying Solotech’s industry position, and enhancing the overall client experience.

LIFTKET appoints Benjamin Göldner as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

LIFTKET Group GmbH has announced the appointment of Benjamin Göldner as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective October 1, 2025. In this newly defined role, he will be responsible for overseeing Sales, Marketing, and Innovation across the entire group. With this strategic move, the LIFTKET Group is strengthening its

international growth ambitions. As CRO, Göldner will lead the global sales and marketing activities, drive customer-centric innovation, and further expand the market position of the group’s strong brands LIFTKET, CHAINMASTER, and MOVEKET in existing and new markets.

Benjamin Göldner has been an integral part of the company for many years. He began his career as Head of Purchasing at LIFTKET before becoming CEO of the subsidiary CHAINMASTER. Most recently, he served as Vice President Stage of the LIFTKET Group, where he successfully shaped the international business develop-

Solotech has announced the appointment of Mark as Managing Director, United Kingdom.

ment in the entertainment segment. Thanks to his diverse background, Göldner combines deep technical expertise with strong market insights and a proven track record in leadership. “With Benjamin Göldner, we are appointing an internationally experienced executive from within our own ranks. He combines technical know-how with strategic vision and will significantly contribute to executing our growth strategy,” said Jürgen Dlugi, CEO of LIFTKET Group GmbH.

Commenting on his new role, Göldner said: “I am very much looking forward to this new challenge and the opportunity to work with our strong team to make the LIFTKET Group even more successful on a global scale. Innovation, customer proximity, and uncompromising quality will continue to be our guiding principles”. The LIFTKET Group employs several hundred people at its headquarters in Germany and in international locations. With a strong commitment to quality ‘Made in Germany’ and close cooperation with partners and customers, the group has established itself as a pioneer and innovation leader in the hoist industry. By creating the CRO position, LIFTKET is sending a clear signal of its ambitious growth strategy for the future.

ASG makes three new appointments to UK team

Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, continues to expand its global reach with the appointment of a well-established team in the company’s London office. Three executives from the groundbreaking UK storage and service provider, Root6, have joined ASG UK Ltd: Graham McGuinness, Petra Leibu, and Neal Kemsley. McGuinness will take the helm as Field CTO; Leibu as Director of Strategic Accounts, UK; and

Kemsley as Senior Solutions Architect (Media Production).

“Since opening the London office a little over a year ago, our business has increased exponentially in the UK, particularly with multi-national corporations as well as TV and film,” says Dave Van Hoy, ASG President. “Through their work with Root6 and Avid before that, Graham, Petra, and Neal have garnered great respect in the London postproduction and corporate video industries. They’re the perfect addition to our team as we look to strengthen our service to London’s corporate, film and television community.”

Van Hoy reports that the appointment of McGuinness, Leibu, and Kemsley continues ASG’s practice of hiring industry veterans with a solid history of working together: “This has been a very effective methodology in our staffing practices. We’ve brought in several teams in the past, for our audio, systems integration, storage, and cloud solutions business units. Each of them hit the ground running and were able to seamlessly execute for our clients.”

As one of the founding owners of Root6, McGuinness has considerable expertise in systems design, cloud workflow automation, editing, film and video postproduction, and shared storage. His role at ASG UK is both strategic and technical, bridging products, engineering, and solutions. ASG’s customer-first and innovative reputation were key to his decision to join the company: “It’s a privilege to work with a media-focused company like ASG who built its reputation on a progressive approach to modern media production workflows – serving our clients so that they can deliver remarkable work. `That is the heart of what we do - ensure our customers’ success,” he continued. “Everything we recommend, implement, and support is geared to that end. We are also deeply passionate about media systems workflow. Details matter. Making sure we really understand them is of the utmost importance when working with clients. We love what we do, and it’s incredibly interesting.” McGuinness can be reached at: gmcguinness@asgllc.com.

As Director of Strategic Accounts, Leibu will manage client relationships in the UK and identify new business opportunities within new and existing accounts. She is eager to extend ASG’s global footprint and to continue the client-driven approach she, McGuinness, and Kemsley are known for. “Understanding the customer and their needs has been paramount to our success,” said Leibu. “The customer is the priority. Everything necessary to succeed in building and growing relationships whether they’re new or existing is based on honesty, integrity, and the knowledge of your customer and products - as well as the ability to recommend, sell and support solutions. We’ve known and worked together for so long that we’re aware of our individual strengths and, when blended together, are able to build and maintain relationships at the highest level.” Leibu can be reached at: pleibu@asgllc.com. Kemsley comes to ASG with an extensive background as a pre-sales and customer support engineer. In his

role as Systems Architect, Kemsley will consult with ASG and client personnel to identify and plan the best solutions for media production system and workflow challenges. Kemsley points to the diverse experience of the team as the foundation for their success: “We’ve each worked in a variety of media production scenarios both as members of a reseller team, and at Avid as members of a manufacturer team. Graham also brings film and video editing production experience. He and I have complex system troubleshooting and customer support escalation experience. And Petra brings years of successful customer account management experience to the table. That combination means we bring both a deep knowledge of single vendor and multi-vendor solutions to the table in our work. We understand the challenges clients face both in technical and logistical terms, and we work as one team to solve their challenges while bringing innovation and the benefit of our experience to the table.” Kemsley can be reached at: nkemsley@asgllc.com.

Renkus-Heinz hires new Middle East and Africa (MEA) sales manager

Renkus-Heinz, a world leader in the development of innovative loudspeaker technology, welcomes Rahul Mankar to the team as Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Rahul brings 17 years of sales experience with him, having worked in various

Three executives from the groundbreaking UK storage and service provider, Root6, have joined ASG UK Ltd: Graham McGuinness, Petra Leibu, and Neal Kemsley.

strategic, decision-making roles with a particular focus on audio-visual experiences within the luxury-tech space. “I’m truly honoured to join Renkus-Heinz as Regional Sales Manager MEA,” says Rahul. “This role represents a strategic opportunity to channel my passion for sound in partnership with a visionary leader in professional audio by ensuring the right loudspeaker technology is applied and implemented to the right environments.”

With a proven track record in driving growth and establishing businesses across the GCC and India, Rahul is the perfect candidate to expand Renkus-Heinz’s global presence, bringing their innovative loudspeaker technology to new markets. “Renkus-Heinz has been shaping the future of pro audio for decades. The company is an industry leader in advanced beam-steerable loudspeaker technology, with innovations such as ICONYX and OmniBeam delivering exceptional clarity and coverage.” Rahul continues: “I look forward to driving growth across the MEA region by delivering audio solutions for large venues and acoustically challenging environments. It’s a privilege to work alongside such a respected professional audio brand, known for delivering bespoke sound solutions to demanding venues.” Rahul will be working closely with Karan Kathuria, Director of Sales and Business Development for APAC and MEA, and the wider sales team to help deliver Renkus-Heinz’s global goals. “Renkus-Heinz endeavours to deliver exceptional customer experience in MEA, actively pursuing initiatives in the region. One such initiative is to onboard Rahul Mankar as regional manager,” says Kathuria. “Rahul brings years of experience in pro audio and has successfully established some renowned

brands in MEA. We are confident of realizing our vision of delivering more advanced solutions in the region with Rahul.”

Renkus-Heinz, a world leader in the development of innovative loudspeaker technology, welcomes Rahul Mankar to the team as Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Stephen Patterson joins Pufferfish Displays as CEO

Stephen Patterson, the former Sales Director of Europe & Africa for Biamp, has joined Pufferfish Displays as their new CEO. Pufferfish Displays were established in 2004 and are best known for the spherical displays utilised in a large number of corporate environments, global public venues, as well as higher-education and visitor attractions. Iain Mackay, Chairman of Pufferfish Displays confirmed “We are thrilled to have Stephen joining us at such an exciting time in our development. Pufferfish Displays have been steadily building a more global business, and we believe that Stephen’s experience and vision match perfectly with those of our board and senior leadership team” Patterson confirmed “I have followed Pufferfish Displays growth with great interest, as they are a Scottish based company and local to me, they tried to sell me a unit for my rental business 18 years ago. The opportunity to join such an innovative and creative business was simply too good to miss. As well as developing and updating the Pufferfish Displays hardware products, we have some aggressive plans for growth within our content creation division. Pufferfish employs some of the most talented people I have ever met in that regard, and I believe that we can really grow that area, as well as the displays themselves, possibly even beyond the spherical”.

AtlasIED appoints Glenn Lin as director of APAC sales

AtlasIED has announced the appointment of Glenn Lin as Director of Sales, APAC, strengthening the company’s commitment to supporting partners and expanding its presence throughout the APAC region. With over 20 years of experience in business development and sales across the APAC region, his career has focused on expanding market presence, building distributor networks, and strengthening B2B relationships. Lin will report directly to Matt Czyzewski, the Executive Vice President of AtlasIED. “The APAC region is a crucial area for growth for AtlasIED, and Glenn’s leadership will

be vital in strengthening relationships and expanding opportunities in these diverse markets,” stated Czyzewski. “His extensive knowledge of the region, combined with a proven record of success, makes him an ideal candidate for this role.”

In his new role, Lin will focus on expanding AtlasIED’s reach across the APAC region by supporting integrators, consultants and end-users, while strengthening the company’s regional sales infrastructure. His appointment underscores AtlasIED’s continued investment in international markets and its dedication to delivering innovative audio and communication solutions worldwide. “The opportunity to join the AtlasIED team is incredibly exciting. I’ve long respected the company’s commitment to engineering excellence and its visionary approach to integrated audio,” said Lin. “I am particularly energized by the chance to leverage my 20 years in the APAC region to build on AtlasIED’s strong foundation and drive meaningful growth in this dynamic and diverse market.”

Stephen Patterson, the former Sales Director of Europe & Africa for Biamp, has joined Pufferfish Displays as their new CEO.

Quality and connection define success at CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025

CEDIA Expo/Commercial Integrator Expo (CIX) held September 3-6 in Denver, reinforced its status as the premier event for the custom systems integration industry. The show brought together nearly 14,000 registered attendees and 400 top brands, who emphasized the quality of interactions and the positive energy on the show floor. The four-day event featured a robust schedule with over 250 education sessions across the CEDIA Education conference and Smart Stage, manufacturer product trainings (MPTs), and a keynote from HGTV’s Chip Wade.

The atmosphere was one of optimism and forward-thinking innovation, with exhibitors scanning over 75,000 attendee leads, connecting with an influential audience where 84% of attendees have buying power. The event also attracted a diverse group, including 30% first-time participants and a double-digit increase in design-build professionals. “CEDIA Expo/CIX was a feast for the senses,” said Jason McGraw, Group Vice President and Show Director. Leading industry brands such as Sony, Crestron, Lutron, ADI/Snap One, Origin Acoustics, Harman, and Samsung, among hundreds more, along with 50 first-time exhibitors, brought their “A’ game—launching new products, showcasing innovation, and raising the bar. The quality of attendees made for connections that truly matter.” He added, “We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from exhibitors, who were impressed by both the calibre of our audience and the overall quality of this year’s show.”

“The energy and excitement at our booth was the best we have ever had, we see growth and momentum after every year of exhibiting at CEDIA Expo/CIX!” stated Scotty Allen, Chief Operating Officer at Josh.ai. Ron Rouse, Vice President of Sales at Wisdom Audio, shared his experience: “CEDIA Expo/Commercial Integrator Expo was a great success for our team, our brand, and our customers. The energy, focus, and format of the show lent itself to valuable conversations, new relationships, and strong business.”

“The JVC Home Theatre Projector team was pleased with the enthusiastic responses and praise from those who experienced both our breathtaking 8K projector and World’s Smallest Native 4K projector demos at CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025. Seeing is believing, and CEDIA Expo/CIX provides a perfect opportunity for Smart Home Professionals to come together to showcase products, create connections, nurture relationships, and share in each other’s recognitions and awards.” Jamie Pasley, General Manager of JVC Home Theatre Projectors.

“Our HARMAN Luxury Audio co-exhibition with Samsung at CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025 showcased how integrators can unlock the power of our combined product portfolios to create unparalleled solutions for audio/video entertainment systems. The Expo show floor was the

perfect venue to highlight this collaboration to our dealer and distributor partners, allowing them to experience our offerings firsthand while having face-to-face conversations with our sales team and factory brand experts,” said Jim Garrett, Senior Director of Product Strategy & Planning, HARMAN.

The engaging sessions on the Smart Stage explored timely topics such as smart home technology, AI, sustainability, and outdoor entertainment with interactive discussions and thought leadership. In addition, the show featured the much-anticipated Women in Consumer Technology (WiCT) Luncheon, and a lively CEDIA Town Hall with Daryl Friedman, Global President & CEO of CEDIA, and Bill Darcy, Global President & CEO of NKBA, where they shared the results of a new joint market research study on the state of technology integration in home design. Destination Outdoors drew attendees into the latest innovations in outdoor smart technology, highlighted by a packed happy hour. The debut of the new podcasting studio inside a brand-new VW ID. Buzz in the convention centre lobby drew significant interest and facilitated fresh and thought-provoking conversations among industry leaders. The show also featured an extensive list of new products being launched exclusively at CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025; this, along with the lineup of sessions, offered an unparalleled and unique experience to attendees. The show’s success has already translated into strong commitments for the next event, with a 15% increase in returning exhibitor booked space for 2026. “This is the one show a year that everybody really needs to go to,” said Ken Hoffman, Owner of Quantum Media Sales. CEDIA Expo/CIX will return to Denver from Wednesday, September 2, to Friday, September 4, 2026.

Next-Gen AV: pioneering with the ISE Hackathon

In an era where technological advancements are rapidly reshaping industries, the demand for fresh, innovative minds has never been greater. Recognising this need within the pro AV and systems integration sectors, Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) launched the ISE Hackathon in 2025, an initiative designed to attract and

nurture new talent for a dynamic, fast-evolving industry. The ISE Hackathon brought together sixty talented university students who were selected as finalists from across Europe to solve real-world technology challenges in the field of audio-visual innovation, demonstrating the power of determination and teamwork. The competition featured three distinct challenge tracks: Sustainability, sponsored by Philips Professional Displays; Innovation, sponsored by EIT Culture & Creativity; and Cybersecurity, sponsored by Hikvision. Each track was designed to push the boundaries of creativity and critical thinking within the pro AV and systems integration industries. Participants were placed into teams and given a problem to solve from one of the three tracks, working closely with expert mentors from each sponsoring company. These mentors played a crucial role in helping students navigate technical challenges, resolve internal disagreements, and keep morale high, ensuring every team stayed focused and engaged.

Shaun Reardon, Principal Cybersecurity Consultant at DNV AS, played a pivotal role as a tribunal member of the Hackathon’s cybersecurity track, co-developing the cybersecurity challenge together with Hikvision. “The ISE Hackathon gave students an incredible opportunity to showcase their creativity, develop problem-solving skills, and collaborate with like-minded peers,” explained Shaun. “Seeing young teams grow and achieve was truly inspiring. As well as shining a spotlight on industry stars of the future, I’m in no doubt that participating in the ISE

Each team presented their solutions at ISE’s Innovation Park Pitching Stage, with the winning teams announced at an awards ceremony on the final day of ISE. The winners received medals and trophies, recognition and networking opportunities, as well as unique experiences from sponsoring partners. Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, commented: “The inaugural ISE Hackathon was a resounding success and encompassed ISE’s ethos in nurturing the next generation of AV pioneers. Thank you to our three sponsors, Philips Professional Displays, EIT Culture & Creativity and Hikvision. We invite more companies to join us in this drive to address the skills gap in the AV industry. By getting involved, companies can not only support the development of the next generation of AV professionals but also gain access to fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. Together, we can build a stronger, more vibrant AV community.”

The winning teams of the ISE 2025 Hackathon were:

• Sustainability Track: Thea Kjønstad Johnsen, Shiba Elise Pakzamir, Erik Heimstad Tangen, and Danilo Milicevic, representing Esade University, Barcelona

• Innovation Track: Nora Marthinsen, Kaja Jæger, Julia Conradsen and Helena Fossum, representing Esade and BI Norwegian Business School

• Cybersecurity Track: Anora Azimora, Elizaveta Earstova and Veronika Borysiuk, representing EU Business

School

“Participation in the ISE Hackathon was great and gave us the perfect opportunity to find out about career paths, transitioning into the corporate world, and how to navigate life after university. I would encourage others to take part in the ISE Hackathon – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to push yourself, meet new people, and discover career possibilities. Even if you don’t win, you’ll walk away with valuable experience and a broader network.” explained Danilo Milicevic, Sustainability Track winning team. “This experience has made me much more confident and open to new opportunities. Before the Hackathon, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do, but now I realise that there are so many paths I hadn’t even considered. Sometimes, what you end up doing isn’t what you originally planned, and that’s okay. This experience opened my eyes to possibilities I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.”

The winning team from the Sustainability Track was invited to visit the sponsor, PPDS’ headquarters in Amsterdam. This unique two-day programme gave the students a peek behind the curtain of a major industry brand and to learn more about the focus on sustainability and security across the portfolio of Philips Professional Displays. “As well as sessions with our teams, we also discussed how careers can take shape – sometimes from surprising beginnings – and how the focus on sustainability and energy saving is shaping not just how we do business and how we build our products – it is challenging technical minds to dig deeper to break new ground” said Vicky Fox, Head of Global Communications for PPDS. “Our time with Thea, Shiba, Erik, and Danilo has been incredibly rewarding. We will be watching their careers developing with real interest, and we look forward to meeting next year’s teams at ISE 2026.”

The ISE Hackathon is more than just a competition – it’s a launchpad for innovation, learning, and real-world impact. Designed to inspire the next generation of talent in the AV and systems integration industries, the Hackathon offers students a unique opportunity to collaborate, solve real challenges, and gain invaluable exposure to industry leaders. It’s an experience that can build confidence, open doors, and ignite career-defining ambitions. The ISE Hackathon will return at ISE 2026.

EVENTS

InfoComm América Latina: over 100 brands on display

InfoComm América Latina will showcase a wide range of products, services, and solutions from over 100 brands on the exhibition floor, in demo rooms, and during educational sessions. More than 60 exhibiting companies will come together to create a vibrant technology show for the audiovisual integration industry, organized by AVIXA (the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association). The event will take place from October 22 to 24 at the International Exhibition and Convention Centre WTC (CIEC WTC) in Mexico City. Registration is free for everyone interested in participating in the show’s various activities. The exhibition floor plan is growing, featuring names like AEQ México, AI Speech, Audio-Technica América Latina, Disney Cruise Line, ELENIX Analytics, Elo Touch Solutions, Foto Commo, Kudo, Qualshine Technology, Rocketerias, Synthax, Tecno Planet, and Unilumin, all of whom have recently joined the lineup.

This surge in exhibitors reflects a deep-seated confidence in the event’s potential. Rodrigo Casassus Coke, CTS, Senior Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at AVIXA, expressed, “With a little over a month remaining before the show’s inauguration, we are thrilled with how it’s taking shape: over 90% of the exhibition space is filled, and all demo rooms are fully booked. We are also receiving inquiries from international companies eager to participate at the last minute.” As distribution companies begin to reveal the brands they will showcase, excitement is building. Representaciones de Audio will feature innovative products from Allen & Heath, Barco, Biamp, BrightSign, dBTechnologies, Genelec, Nexo, Sharp, Sonos, and Shure through its Shure Innovation Lab concept. Fortune Acoustics will impress visitors in its demo room with the exceptional sound performance of Estelon, Vitus Audio, and Crystal Cable products. Casassus stated, “The show will present a diverse array of solutions, encompassing digital signage, distributed audio, sound for events and conferences, content production and distribution, as well as integration solutions for both commercial and residential environments, ensuring that every attendee discovers what they seek.”

In addition to a diverse range of exhibitors, the show will feature an ambitious educational program organized by thematic areas and encompassing different session formats and activities. This program is designed to meet the various training needs of professionals in the sector, from beginners to advanced practitioners. Renata Mérida Neris, Live Content Manager for Latin America at AVIXA, emphasizes that the goal is to bring to the region the concepts and advancements that shape the global audiovisual industry with a program that aligns with the standards of InfoComm shows. The program starts on Wednesday with a new edition of Congreso AVIXA, focusing on business development and decision-making. The opening conference, titled “The Future of AV: Inno-

vation, Business, and Connections,” will be presented by Jeff Stoebner, CEO of FORTÉ; John Bailey, Senior Vice President of Technology and Innovation at AVISPL; and Dave Labuskes, CEO of AVIXA. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the industry, insights into future business trends, and an analysis of how Latin American companies can establish themselves as key players in this global transformation. Congreso AVIXA will also include contributions from local integrators and distributors, who will share their knowledge and experiences, offering valuable insights into regional and local dynamics. A key component of the program is the Manufacturer Training track. Leading companies such as Atlas IED, Audinate, Biamp, Bose Professional, Cisco, Datapath, Deneva, Disney Cruise Line, Fohhn, Jabra, Powersoft, Renkus Heinz, and Zoom will conduct sessions aimed at updating technical knowledge. Topics will include using standards to design audio systems, innovations in digital signage CMS, and opportunities for AV professionals aboard cruise ships.

Alongside these talks, the show will offer practical sessions in Audio Demo Rooms, providing an immersive experience. Participating manufacturers like Bose Professional, L-Acoustics, and Meyer Sound, along with distributors such as Fortune Acoustics, Representaciones de Audio, and Tecso, will present a selection of the brands they represent. These rooms allow attendees to experience first-hand the quality and capabilities of the latest audio solutions. The educational experience extends beyond the CIEC WTC halls with Tech Tours, which include guided visits to Estudio 13, a stateof-the-art audio recording studio, and InSpace, a venue equipped with complete audiovisual systems ideal for immersive experiences and memorable events. “Enjoying the InfoComm América Latina educational program is simple—just register for the show and select the sessions that interest you. We have three educational rooms filled with fresh and valuable content, and access is completely free as it is included in the show registration,” highlights Mérida. No additional registration is needed; simply arrive on time to secure a spot in one of the two rooms located on the exhibition floor or the room on the mezzanine level of the CIEC WTC.